Dino Thunder: A Shade of Green
by Always have a little Faith
Summary: Kaylee Hanson moves to Reefside to experience high school normality after being in Blue Bay Harbor. However, normal is not what she finds when she, along with Kira, Conner and Ethan become Power Rangers and are dragged into a battle against Mesogog.
1. Day of the Dino, Part 1

_**WARNING!!! **Before continuing, you might wanna have read "Ninja Storm: Redone" by my friend Lily Hanson before you go on, or else some references and storyline may be lost on you. Thanks._

* * *

Day of the Dino, Part 1.

The bell rang at Reefside High as the first period science class of twelfth grade began, signaling the beginning of their last semester at this school. The class was rambunctious as they currently didn't have a teacher, and most were running around or throwing paper air planes at one another. One girl was filling her nails, another was busy in her own corner writing things in a notebook, one boy was staring blankly into space and another was typing away on his laptop.

Doctor Tommy Oliver walked into class, eyes widening slightly at the attitude of supposedly-mature twelfth graders. He left the door ajar and walked over to his desk, lab coat swaying away behind him as he fingered his glasses. "Guys! Settle down! Take your seats, please."

Eventually they listened, sitting down at the lab tables and paying somewhat attention to the man at the front. "I'm Doctor Oliver, and this is first period science. Before we start are there any questions?"

One girl near the front, dressed in a pink cheerleader-like outfit raised her hand high into the air.

"Cassidy, Cassidy Cornell," she smiled, standing and walking up to him. Everyone in the room sighed with annoyance, and one girl near the back with yellow arm bands even rolled her eyes. She ignored this and continued. "Doctor Oliver, as you may know I'm the anchor and reporter for our school TV station. I'm sure our viewers are wondering – well, you don't really look old enough to be a teacher."

Her smile dropped as she turned around, "Devin, are you getting this?" she barked to a brown-haired boy holding a camera who had previously been staring into space.

"Cassidy," Doctor Oliver replied. "I promise you, I'm old enough. So let's put the camera away."

"You missed it!" she hissed as they returned to their seats.

"For now let's talk about you guys, what you expect of yourselves in this class," he went on. "Because that's what's really important."

He looked around the silently and non-responsive class until his eyes fell upon an empty stool. "Is uh, someone missing?"

Before anyone could answer there came a small knock at the door, followed by the voice of Principal Randall saying something like "oh just go in!" The door opened to reveal a petite girl with light blonde hair and a green highlight, whose attire was mainly themed by the same color. Her bright blue eyes looked up at Tommy and she smiled a tad shyly.

"This is your new student Doctor Oliver," Randall barked. "Kylee Manson."

"Actually, it's Kaylee Hanson," the girl corrected, but the principal wasn't listening as she had spotted the empty seat. Looking at the clipboard in her hand she grinned evilly.

"I believe I've found my first student for detention," and without another word she was off, leaving them to an awkward silence.

"So, Kaylee, come on in," Tommy smiled, making sure he got the girl's name right after Randall's rudeness. "There's an extra stool over by the wall and you can sit over…"

His eyes scanned the room for free space, and Kaylee merely smiled. "I got it," she stated, walking over to a girl with dirty blonde hair and the yellow arm bands. "Hi, uh Kira, right?"

"Yeah, you're the girl that was here for the tour at the beginning of the year," Kira pointed out and Kaylee nodded. "Cool, have a seat."

The blonde obliged, dragging the extra stool to cram the table alongside Kira, as Doctor Oliver resumed his earlier introduction speech.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

On the school's soccer field, two guys were practicing and were evidently skipping class because the boy fully padded and shaking in the net was nervous. Across from him a boy in a red soccer uniform kept a red soccer ball slightly in the air with his foot.

His keep-ups lasted a few more seconds before he kicked it high into the air, flipped sideways after it and delivered a fierce and powerful kick as it came back down. As he landed on the soft grass, the ball went hurtling through the air towards the goalie, who shook in his shoes and dodged it.

"Dude, you're supposed to try and stop it," the soccer star groaned.

"You sure we're not gonna get in trouble for this?" the other boy called worriedly. "I mean…the bell rang and it's the first day of second semester."

"Look, if anyone says anything tell them Conner McKnight gave you permission to be out here," the red-clad soccer player stated, his messy brown hair falling slightly into his eyes.

"Yeah, but I heard the new principal is crazy! She worked in a prison or something before she came here to Reefside!"

"Don't worry about Randall – she's a woman," Conner began, fully unaware of whom was slowly walking up behind him even though the goalie was clearly telling him to shut up. "And women are just grown up girls. Need I say more?"

"I think you've said quite enough Mr. McKnight," Randall smirked, causing Conner's eyes to widen as he turned around.

He put on his best smile as he faced her. "Principal Randall. I have heard such great things about you," he grinned.

"There all vicious rumors I assure you," she stated. "Go."

Conner groaned and shook his head, walking off. Randall glared at the goalie. "What're you looking at?" she growled, before kicking a soccer ball with such force it hit the kid in the stomach and knocked him over. "NOW GET BACK TO CLASS!"

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Hey," Kaylee greeted as she sat down at the picnic table bench beside Kira, who was busy scribbling away in her notebook. "Whatcha writing?"

"Nothing really, just some lyrics…," Kira stated, closing her notebook and looking up at Kaylee.

"You write music? Awesome! Do you sing too? You'll have to play for me sometime!" the blonde grinned, making Kira frown.

"Do you normally talk this excitedly?" Kira chuckled.

"Not always…okay maybe a lot…okay all the time! But it's my first day, and I haven't seen you since my tour of the school back at the beginning of the year."

"True," Kira nodded. But it felt weird for her. She was so used to being alone at lunch. In fact she was used to being alone all the time. So having friendly and happy Kaylee around was a major change. And it was then that she noticed the guitar case leaning against the space to Kaylee's right. "Yours?"

"Yep, one of the few things I can sit still for is playing music," Kaylee nodded. Then her face lit up. "Oh! You could borrow it if you want! You could sing what you were writing!"

"Um…I dunno…," Kira was uneasy, and it didn't help when some people sitting around them on the grass and eating lunch looked up and agreed, saying they hadn't heard her sing in awhile on school grounds. "Alright…sure."

"Yay!" Kaylee grinned, taking her acoustic guitar out of its case and sitting back down. She strummed a few chords to make sure it was in tune as the teens around them began to pay attention, patiently awaiting the music.

"At least this time in Reefside, your wrist isn't broken," Kira smiled, remembering when she'd shown the Hanson girl around school and she had been wearing a cast.

Kaylee sniffled, remembering it. "That was painful!"

Kira smiled as the other musician passed her the guitar, and she noted it was a really nice acoustic. "Okay, it's really small what I have so far, I hope you guys like it," she told Kaylee and the small group of people around them. As she began to strum away at the guitar, Kaylee smiled widely.

"_I wanna know, know where you're at._

_I'm at the front, but you're still at the back._

_Oh, can you tell me where, tell me where you're at?_

_Freak you out. Freak you out. _

_Freak you out. Freak you o-out._

_Freak you out. Freak you out. _

_Freak you out. Freak you o-out."_

The group clapped and Kaylee grinned as Kira finished what little of the song she had written. "That was sweet!" the blonde exclaimed.

Their applause was ruined moments later when Randall stalked up to them, clipboard in hand and soccer star Conner McKnight reluctantly following. "Miss Ford. I'm afraid you need written permission to perform on school grounds. Let's go!"

"Are you aware that kids who play in instrument have a fifty percent higher chance of getting into college?" Kira inquired and Randall lowered her glasses to grin at her.

"Well, you're hardly college material now are you, Miss Ford?" she smirked, tapping her clipboard. "Now come with me."

Kira groaned and slid off the table, bringing the guitar with her. "Wait!" Kaylee cried. "Can I have my guitar back, Kira?"

"Oh right, sorry," Kira chuckled, passing the other girl what was hers. Randall smiled.

"_Your_guitar? Well then, do come along as well Miss Manson," the principal grinned.

"It's_Hanson_!" Kaylee exclaimed, picking up her guitar and getting up to followed. "Geez, why is it that you can't get my name right, but you get their's just fine?"

"Do you want _more_ detention for talking back to an authority figure?" Randall snapped as they walked off and Kaylee shook her head vigorously. As the three teens grumbled and followed the principal across the grounds towards the school, the sprinklers burst into life, spraying them with vast amounts of water from all sides.

"My guitar!" Kaylee squeaked, covering her instrument with her arms as best she could as if the water was acid that was going to melt it.

"This is just great…," Kira muttered as they followed Randall out of the sprinkler radius.

The principal turned and spotted a blue-clad teen of African-American descent walking towards the school with umbrella in hand and smiling widely. "Ethan James," she growled. "I should've known." She stalked off after him, yelling for the other three to follow her which they did – reluctantly.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Sit!" the principal barked as they arrived near the office. The four teens – three of which were drenched – sat down on the bench outside her office.

"Principal Randall, I'd just like to mention the fact that there's no hard evidence liking me to that _unfortunate_ sprinkler incident," he stated, smiling innocently.

"Save it for Judge Judy, Mr. James," Randall snapped. "The four of you have detention! For one week. Starting today. Now if there are no further questions--"

The four teens burst into a frenzied protest, Conner's about soccer, Kira's about band practice, Kaylee's about visiting her sister Tori and Ethan's about computer club. "I didn't think so!" Randall yelled, cutting them off before storming into her office and slamming the door shut.

"Okay…," Kira sighed, her voice thick with anger. "Somebody seriously needs a hug."

Kaylee grinned and launched herself at the musician, squeezing her with a hug. Kira looked down at her through the veil of the wet bangs. "I was being sarcastic."

"Oh," Kaylee smiled sheepishly, sitting upright.

"But thanks," Kira nodded.

"Dude," Conner leaned forward, looking past the girls to stare at Ethan. "Computer Club?"

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"…bring the little monsters with you!" Randall smiled as she came around the corner of the hall with Doctor Oliver at her side. "That should be sufficient torture for them."

Conner, Ethan, Kira and Kaylee leaned against the wall outside science class, not looking amused at all. "You've all met I trust?" Randall grinned. "Well, enjoy your little outing."

And with that she was off, leaving an awkward silence in her wake as the four teens glared after her. "So…," Tommy began, taking off his glasses and watching the teens. "You guys like museums?"

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Whoa!" Ethan grinned like a little kid as Tommy's jeep pulled up to the museum and he spotted the huge T-Rex Statue out front. "Check out the T-Rex!"

"It looks funny," Kaylee commented as they clambered out of the vehicle. As they headed towards the sidewalk, she skittered across the grass towards it. "Wonder what it's made out of?" she reached her hand out to poke it but Kira pulled her away.

"C'mon Kaylee, I don't think you're supposed to be poking the gigantic threatening statue," the dirty blonde told her, bringing her back to the guys. They were standing in front of a chain, from which hung a sign - _Sorry, we're closed._

"That's weird," Tommy commented, looking up at the museum.

"Oh well, no museum for us," Conner sighed, faking disappointment.

"Great, let's go home," Kira suggested.

"I'll tell you what; why don't you guys have a look around the grounds?" Tommy inquired. "If any of you guys find anything prehistoric, I'll cancel detention for the rest of the week."

"I'm in!" Kaylee replied quickly.

"I'm gonna see if I can find someone who can tell us when they're opening up," Tommy stated.

The teens nodded and walked off, down the side road.

"So lemme get this straight," Conner began, looking at Ethan. "They have a club just for computers?"

"Would you let it go already?" Kira sighed. "They have a club for soccer but you don't see us amazed by it."

"They have a soccer club? I should go check it out sometime," Kaylee grinned. "How good's the team?"

"We're awesome," Conner smiled. "And I'm pretty sure the cheerleaders need a new vibrant soul."

Kaylee stopped in her tracks, doubling over with laughter. The others slowed down and as the guys frowned, Kira smiled slightly.

"You think…you think I meant…being a cheerleader?" Kaylee giggled, managing to speak between laughs.

"Well if not that then what did you mean?" Conner inquired.

"She meant _playing_ soccer," Kira stated dryly.

"Ohhhh," Conner nodded, realizing it now. He smirked and leaned closer to Kaylee. "So, you play soccer?"

"Yep, since I was four," she grinned, turning to walk backwards as she faced the other three. "Oh, and I also have what is called a boyfriend since…five or six months ago!"

As Kira and Ethan shared a grin, Conner's shoulders drooped and he nodded sternly, walking on ahead and muttering to himself about his own stupidity. Kaylee giggled again and fell into step with everyone else.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Hey, you guys ever heard the story about the guy that was hiking up here that fell into a giant sinkhole?" Ethan inquired as they trudged through the woods.

"Sinkholes?" Kaylee's eyes widened slightly.

"Must've missed that one," Kira replied, rolling her eyes.

"C'mon!" Ethan exclaimed, walking backwards to look at the three. "It was on all the urban legend websites!"

"Sinkholes?!" Kaylee squeaked a little louder, looking around them suspiciously.

"Dude, you know this isn't computer club, right?" Conner chuckled.

"Oh, I guess you're too big and bad to surf the web!" Ethan mocked, and Kaylee watched them walk slightly ahead as she clung to Kira's arm.

"Sinkholes?!?!" she whispered worriedly.

"Well what do you do in your spare time?" Ethan inquired.

"Me?" Conner smirked, looking over Ethan's head towards the girls as his gaze locked with Kira's. "I got out with girls. Y'know, they're the ones at school that smell really good with the long hair and the make-up."

"Oh, it's like that is it?" Ethan stated, stopping in his tracks and nudging Conner's arm.

"Yeah," Conner scoffed, staring down the shorter teen. "It's like that."

"Whatever," Kira rolled her eyes, brushing past them as Kaylee followed, still looking left and right for these 'sinkholes'. Conner chuckled and followed.

"All I'm trying to do is give you guys the heads-up," Ethan told them. "Stuff happens out here. Just don't come crying to me when you fall in a giant sinkhole."

No sooner had the word left his mouth did Ethan go plummeting through the ground as it gave way. Kira, Kaylee and Conner followed from where they stood.

"SINKHOLE!" Kaylee yelled as she fell downwards.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

The four teens got to their feet, brushing off whatever dirt and dust they could. Kaylee's eyes were wide as she looked around the small and dark tunnel, seeing the only available source of light was the hole they had come through.

"You okay?" Ethan inquired, seeing the look on her face.

"I'm…kinda not so good with the close…small…spaces," she whimpered.

"Ah, Claustrophobia?" the short blue-wearing teen nodded and she smiled weakly.

"Nerd-speak," Conner stated, shaking his head. "Alright. You guys stay here where it's safe; I'll climb up and come back with help."

He passed behind Kira, sliding her out of the way by placing a hand on her back. Kaylee frowned and leaned closer to Kira as Conner walked up to the tunnel wall.

"What was that all about?" she inquired and Kira shrugged. "And…why are we letting him be all leader-ish?"

"Wait for it," Kira smiled, watching as Reefside's star soccer player got about two feet off the ground in climbing before a rock broke away where a hand was and he came crashing down.

"Back already?" Ethan chuckled, before helping Conner up.

As they walked on, it was evident these tunnels were scaring Kaylee a bit much so Kira decided to make her concentrate on something else. The best she could come up happened to be singing what little she had written of a song, in hopes it could work.

"_Freak you…Freak you…Freak you out…Freak you o-out…_," she sang softly, and Kaylee nodded her thanks, humming along as best she could and pretending they weren't however many feet underground, with small lights coming through sinkholes, and a series of never-ending enclosed and not-at-all spacious tunnels.

"Babe, could you keep it down?" Conner smirked, walking past her and patting her shoulder as he did. "I'm trying to stay focused."

"Did you just call me _babe_?" Kira inquired, switching from her singing voice to a heated one in a flash. Conner walked off a few feet, exploring the tunnel a little more. Kira turned to look at Kaylee and Ethan incredulously. "Did he just call me _babe_?"

"I dunno; I wasn't listening," Ethan shrugged. "I was grooving to your tune."

Kaylee chuckled and nodded at Kira, who groaned and stalked off towards the tallest teen. She stopped in front of him and he peered down at her. "You called me _babe_, didn't you?"

"Might've," he smirked, shrugging. "Why, is there a problem?"

"Listen, my name is Kira. K-I-R-A," she explained. "Maybe you should write it on your hand or something. Alright?"

Kaylee and Ethan followed her as she went off down another tunnel, shrugging at Conner as they passed him. It took them another ten to fifteen minutes before they got to the end of the tunnel to find a skeleton of a T-Rex.

"Can I poke this one?" Kaylee smiled weakly, ignoring the closed in space around them.

"No," Kira shook her head.

"Why not!"

"Because, it screams Jurassic Park to me."

"This'll get us out of detention forever!" Conner grinned, stepping up to the head of the Dinosaur and reaching out towards the jaw.

"Why's he allowed touching it and I'm not!" Kaylee whined.

"Do you think you should be—" Kira didn't finish her sentence as the T-Rex jaw snapped down and a click echoed in the tunnel.

"Whoa…," Conner breathed as the wall beside the skeleton began sliding upwards like a garage door. Behind the door was something that looked like a lab, with stone walls, tables covered in machines and gizmos and a three-toed Dinosaur print as lights along the walls.

Ethan, Conner and Kira walked in and before Kaylee followed, she poked the T-Rex skeleton.

"I could do a crazy video in here," Kira smiled as the four teens walked in and looked around.

"It's better than the creepy tight tunnels," Kaylee smiled, sighing in relief.

"Whoa," Conner said again, patting Ethan on the shoulder. "This must be like the mother ship for you, dude."

"Normally, I'd be insulted. But when you're right; you're right," Ethan grinned.

In the center of the room there was a large meteor-like thing sitting on a table with mist pouring out of it. In the center there were four small rocks, almost like gems. Red, Blue, Yellow and Green – an uncanny and ironic color scheme.

As Conner reached for the red one, Ethan shook his head. "Yo, don't touch that."

"Why not?" Conner frowned as the two girls came up on either side of him, in front of gems that reflected their color-theme outfits. Ethan was across from him in front of the blue one.

"You're really taking this 'dumb jock' thing to a whole new level," Ethan commented.

"There they go again," Kaylee sighed.

"Look, I have sat through enough lame science classes in my life to know that thing looks fully prehistoric," Conner pointed out. "And if I don't have to miss practice…"

"I hate to agree with him – really, I do," Kira put in. "But I already missed one rehearsal."

"And this was my first day…and I got detention!" Kaylee nodded. "If I tell my sis she'll kill me!"

They all nodded and together, they picked up the gems in front of them, which began to glow brightly seconds after and emit slight noises.

"Well…what are they?" Kira frowned, turning the glowing yellow gem from hand to hand.

"They look like glow sticks but, y'know, round," Kaylee pointed out as the green gem in her hands pulsed slightly.

"I can go online later and see if I can find out," Ethan offered.

"You, in front of a computer?" Conner chuckled. "Wait, let me put on my surprised face."

"Aww, lay off," Kaylee sighed.

"No, that's fine," Ethan stated, standing his ground. "Because in ten years from now when his hair line's receding and he's playing pick-up soccer in the park because his dreams of turning pro never quite worked out – I'll have my own multi-billion dollar software business."

He smiled at Kaylee, who returned the gesture while Kira and Conner exchanged frowns, shrugging. And after shaking her head, Kira turned toe and headed towards the door.

"Where you going?" Conner called, making her turn around.

"I don't wanna think about what kind of freak lives in a place like this," she told him. "And I sure don't wanna be here when he gets home."

"Wait for me!" Kaylee cried, running after her and pausing at the door leaving the lab to shudder at the thought of returning into the claustrophobic tunnels before she followed.

"Right behind you," the guys stated, following as well.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"This way!" Ethan called about fifteen minutes later as they were finally reaching the end of the tunnels. Light was a lot more prominent here and as the four teens ran swiftly; they reached a large opening out into the woods again.

Conner, Kira and Ethan stopped once they were at the top of the small path leading from the tunnel, but Kaylee continued until she was out in the open and fell to her knees. "Light! Ground! And above all other things; OPEN AIR!"

"She really didn't like those tunnels, did she?" Conner inquired and Kira shook her head.

"If small enclosed spaces scared the pants off of you, would you?" she stated and he shrugged.

"Guess not."

"Compass," Ethan realized as they caught up to Kaylee, who was now getting to her feet. "Does anyone have a compass?"

"Gee, and I was gonna bring one," Conner said sarcastically.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew by. "What was that?" Ethan asked worriedly.

"That was what we people like to call the wind," Kaylee smiled, back to full spirits now that they were in the open again. "It comes in varying speeds and sounds, and sometimes brings surprises with it known as '_things that will hit you and make you go ow'_."

"That ain't the wind," Ethan shook his head as louder sounds echoed around. "As much as we'd like it to be; it ain't."

There was a large flash of purple to their right, left and front as a group of six or seven freaky lizard-like creatures dropped from each.

"Don't…move…," Conner whispered.

"Great idea, make it easy for them!" Kira hissed.

"New plan…," Kaylee whispered.

"RUN!" both girls cried together, taking off with the guys in tow.

"Considering the fact that we're running for our lives, I won't elaborate on how weird finishing each others sentences is!" Ethan yelled.

They reached a huge ditch in the road and had to jump. Conner made it across with ease, while Ethan hit the edge and struggled but made it over. Unfortunately for the girls, being short was not a blessing for this stunt as they weren't able to make it over and fell.

Their yells of surprise made the guys turn and run back, peering over the edge. The lizards were approaching fast as the girls got to their feet and reached up.

"C'mon!" Conner yelled, pulling Kira up as Ethan helped Kaylee. As the monsters began coming over or through the ditch, they ran off again as fast as they could.

Kira hadn't noticed a tree root sticking out and tripped, falling to the ground. As she turned, the monsters were closing in and she screamed. What happened next she could not have ever fathomed as waves of yellow sonic energy amplified her scream, knocking the lizards off their feet and into the dirt.

A few feet away the other three stopped running, clamping their hands to their ears to brace against the painfully loud sound infiltrating. When the sound died, they looked at one another before running back to Kira.

"Help her up," Conner stated and Ethan complied, taking one arm while the soccer player took the other. When she was on her feet Ethan backed off but Conner kept a firm hand on the small of her back, steadying her for no reason.

Kaylee noticed this and rolled her eyes, turning her gaze instead to the root clearly sticking out of the ground. "Wow, you suck. How could you miss that one?"

"Shut it," Kira stated.

"What was that?" Ethan inquired, referring to the scream.

"I have _no_ idea," the dirty blonde shrugged, and suddenly the yellow gem in her pocket began to glow fiercely. She pulled it out and felt a rush of warmth and tingling flow through her as the image of a large yellow dinosauric bird flitted across her mind, its scream echoing through her head and reflecting the one she had just uttered moments before.

As the gem stopped glowing and made a funny sound, the lizards were alerted again and on their feet. The rushed forward and the teens took off running again.

Kaylee, who was now starting to hate this forest dearly, began wishing to be anywhere else – to be away from these monsters. Her wish was realized as the gem in her pocket began to glow and all four teens were encased in the same green light before suddenly disappearing.

Seconds later they reappeared near the forest edge and she took the green gem from her pocket, poking it with her free hand. "What the heck is this thing?" she questioned as warmth filled her body and slight pinpricks annoyed her fingers. The image of a green-scaled dinosaur with a large frill of spines clouded her vision before disappearing.

As the monsters teleported in, the four teens took off in different directions. Kira was the first to stop in her tracks and turn, staring down the monsters. As one jumped at her she dodged, swinging her fist up to catch another one in the face. It was sent sprawling, as she spun around another creature, kicking out behind her and causing it to hit the ground as she went on.

She blocked the attack of one lizard, before ducking under the swipe of another. Smirking, she grabbed an arm of each, and spun them together, causing them to crash into one another and get knocked out. Roundhouse kicking the nearest monster she looked up, amazed by her sudden adept ability to fight.

A little ways away was Kaylee, dueling monsters left, right and center, but instead of being amazed, it looked like she was right at home. She flipped backwards, landing on the shoulders of a creature and twisting it the hit other creatures with its huge arm. Eventually she got bored of this and maneuvered it the crash into another monster, jumping down and going right back into the fight with two more.

As she ducked under the swipe of one and kicked it to the ground, it wrapped its arms around her legs as she tried to fight the other. She tripped and fell over, but rolled out of the way of the monster's kicking foot; swiping her leg out and making it eat dirt.

Ethan was less successful than the girls, having been grabbed from behind by two lizard creatures. He jumped, kicking his feet out only to have them land in the hands of two more monsters. They growled and threw him a few feet away, onto the ground.

Groaning, he pushed himself to his knees and his eyes widened as a monster rushed forward. Bringing his arms up to brace against the attack, a sudden warm feeling shot through him as the monster's sharp arm connected with his and did nothing.

He frowned, looking up and seeing that his arms were covered in shinning blue scales. Grinning like a kid in a candy story, he pushed it back onto its knees, getting to his feet and slipping into a series of fight moves against oncoming monsters that shocked him.

"Something's happening to me…," he breathed, looking at his glowing scaly arms. He opened his right hand and found the blue gem there in his palm, burning brightly. As it turned off the remnants of an image of a large blue Triceratops flashed across his mind.

Conner was last to have his gem trigger, as he was attempting to hold his own with what street fighting and brawling he'd learned growing up and fighting with his brother. Amazingly, he wasn't half bad. This was of course until he was grabbed and thrown a few feet through the air, into a tree. He cursed as his back smashed against the wood and he fell to the ground.

Looking up and groaning, the gem in his hands began to glow bright red, and a red T-Rex roared across his mind, adding strength and a feeling of power to him. He looked up in time to see a monster charging towards him, and flipped to his feet, spinning into a kick that hit it in the face and floored it. He looked around, frowning as everything was moving slowly.

"Wow…everything's so slow!" he cried. He looked left and right and watched as two sets of monsters flew slowly through to air towards him. Grinning, he raced towards one group at fast speeds and kicked them away, before racing across to the other and punching them away.

He grinned, fighting back a few monsters before finally getting out of there and back to a path, where he met up with the other three. They all had their gems in hand, and were panting.

"Yo…how much do I love detention?!" Ethan laughed.

"Hey!" Tommy had finally found them and as he ran towards them, they stuffed the gems into pockets and sleeves and out of sight, looking as inconspicuous as possible. "You guys alright?"

"Well I—" Kira started, but Ethan interrupted, nodding.

"Yeah, couldn't be better," he grinned.

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened?" Tommy inquired.

"Define, 'ordinary' and I'll see what I can do," Kaylee stated, making Conner shush her.

"Naw, just your, uh, routine hike in the woods," Ethan told him. "Lots of furry little creatures."

"And a few scaly ones," Kira commented, and Conner applied slight pressure to her foot by standing on it, shutting her up as Tommy frowned at her.

"So, you get into the Dino exhibit?" Conner inquired, drawing Doctor Oliver's focus to him.

"Uh, still working the kinks out," he stated. "We better get you guys back. C'mon."

"Don't you guys think we should tell him?" Kira inquired as they dropped back a bit from their science teacher in order to talk.

"I dunno about you, but I've got over a thousand sci-fi DVD's and you wanna know how many times the dude with the super powers ends up in from freaky government lab on a table with wires in his head?" Ethan whispered.

"Even_I_ know that," Conner stated as they stopped to talk in a little circle.

"Wires?" Kaylee squeaked, and Kira gave her a pointed look.

"Don't start another complex like the sinkhole one," she stated.

"Right. Sorry," Kaylee grinned sheepishly.

Tommy stopped walking and turned to look at them. "You guys coming?"

Giving each other one last agreeing glance, they followed.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Okay, so we all agree, no one talks about this?" Conner inquired as the four teens walked towards the school, backpacks on and a soccer ball being thrown from one of his hands to the other. They exchanged glances.

"Not even my sister?" Kaylee inquired.

"Not anyone. No matter what," Conner specified.

"Aww," Kaylee pouted.

"I can do better than that," Kira stated, turning to face them and outstretching her hand to drop something in Conner's palm. "I'm out."

They looked down and spotted the yellow gem in his hands. "Just forget I was here and I'll do the same," she stated.

"Hey, how come he gets it?!" Kaylee frowned. "You know me better! …Right?"

"Well here," Kira took the gem from Conner and gave it to Kaylee.

As they debated this for a moment, Cassidy Cornell and sidekick and cameraman Devin Del Valle came out of the school, walking towards the parking lot.

"I'm telling you, there's something weird about Doctor Oliver," Cassidy stated. "I mean seriously, I called Angel Grove High and they wouldn't tell me anything. It's like his private record's just one big secret."

"Yeah…I kinda think that's why they call it a _private_ record," Devin said, scratching his head. "I mean if they were public--!"

Cassidy interrupted him as she pulled him in behind a small station wagon, peering over the hood in the direction of the four talking teenagers. "What?" Devin inquired.

"Don't you think that's a little odd?"

"A bunch of kids standing around talking…yeah, freaky man."

"No!" Cassidy snapped, wanting to hit Devin over the head. "Think about it; why would Conner McKnight, king of all jocks, be hanging out with Ethan James?"

Devin shrugged, looking totally lost.

"King of all geeks!" Cassidy added, and it clicked in Devin's brain.

"Yeah! Right!"

"Not to mention the Avril Wannabe and the new kid," Cassidy sneered. "I mean seriously, in the nearly four years we've been at Reefside have you ever seen them look at each other? Cuz I haven't."

"You know what?" Kira groaned, knowing that it was impossible to talk to them at this point. "I give up! Take it, do whatever, just don't involve me!"

And with that she turned away, throwing an apologetic look Kaylee's way before storming off down the road. She got no further than fifteen feet before an eerie wind blew by – the same from earlier, at the tunnel exit.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," she muttered, turning around to see the three others watching. She turned back to the road and the lizard monsters from before were suddenly there and grabbed her from all sides, making her drop her backpack. "Get away freaks!"

"Kira!" Conner yelled, and he and the others rushed towards her, only to have her be teleported away before they could reach her.

"Hurry, the camera!" Cassidy yelled. "What do you see?"

"Wicked, you gotta check this out!" Devin smiled, opening the LCD screen for her. It showed nothing but beautiful skies and healthy trees - perfect for a weather report but not a story.

"There's nothing there," she snapped.

"She's gone…," Ethan stated.

"Um…um…um…," Kaylee stammered, unable to figure out what to do.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Ten minutes later and Conner's red 1967 Mustang came roaring around the street corner, throwing Kaylee from one side of the backseat to the other even with her seatbelt on. Tires screeched as he did and Ethan was glad to be in the front bucket seat.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…," Kaylee grumbled and Conner glared at her through the rear-view mirror.

"No, you're not. Get anything remotely smelly or vomit-like on those seats and you're dead."

"Well if you could drive _slower_ that might not be an issue!" Kaylee snapped.

"Right so…where are we going?" Conner inquired.

"You're driving like a maniac and you don't even know where we're going?" Kaylee cried. "Wow, you're _are_ stupid!"

"Guys! Focus!" Ethan pleaded with a worried tone. "Look, what about Doctor Oliver's?"

"What's he gonna do?" Conner frowned.

"He's a dinosaur guy! These things are dinosaurs…," Ethan trailed off as he brought his PDA out of his pocket and began working at it.

"Sort of," Kaylee point out.

"Alright, so where's he live?" Conner inquired.

"Uhhh…1992 Valencia Road," Ethan told him.

"Valencia Road that's…," Conner frowned, thinking about it. "That's like way out in the middle of the woods."

"Woods, as in the ones with the sinkholes?" Kaylee inquired and the boys chuckled. "What! Those tunnels were small and dark and creepy! Excuse me for having a fear!"

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

A little while later they pulled up a dirt path that resembled a driveway, all the way to the quaint little house at the end. Stopping the car and turning it off the three got out and raced to the door (but not before Kaylee found a nice bush to puke behind).

Conner peered through the window while Ethan knocked, and Kaylee joined them a moment later. "Knock again," Conner stated when there was no answer.

"Now what?" Kaylee inquired, seeing that no one was answering.

Conner shook his head and walked over, pushing the door - which was apparently unlocked - open. Ethan and Conner exchanged glances while Kaylee poked her head inside, frowning.

"What are you doing?" Ethan inquired, and Kaylee ducked back behind them, shrugging.

"It's a creaking door. Just checking there aren't things going to jump us when we walk in," she told them.

"How many horror flicks have _you_ watched lately?" Ethan chuckled, before looking up at a suddenly-so-serious Conner.

"Why would he leave it unlocked?" the tall teen shrugged.

"He's got no neighbors," Ethan pointed out.

"He's lonely?" Kaylee suggested.

"What, you've never heard of the three bears?" Conner chuckled, moving inside.

"Is that the last book you read?" Ethan taunted, following.

"Guys!" Kaylee exclaimed, making them stop and look at her. "Isn't this considered a B&B?"

"What?" Conner frowned.

"No wait…that's a Bed & Breakfast. I think I meant to say B&E," Kaylee giggled. "Yeah! B&E!"

"I still don't get it," Conner stated.

"Let me translate," Ethan chuckled. "Breaking and Entering."

"Did we break anything?" the soccer jock pointed out. "No. So it's only and E. Now let's go."

Reluctantly, Kaylee followed and she found the boys in what appeared to be the study. On the main table was a small replica of a T-Rex Skeleton, almost like the one from the tunnels.

"Doctor Oliver!" Ethan called.

"_Now_ you call for him?" Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"Hey, check it out!" Conner grinned, stepping up to the T-Rex model. He went to touch the jaw and bring it down like the one from the tunnels but Ethan stopped him.

"Remember what happened last time you did that?" Ethan inquired.

"Dude, the guy's a teacher, not—" Conner's words were delayed as he pulled the T-Rex jaw and a tile slid away from the floor and up, revealing a staircase into a basement with dim lightning.

"Batman?" Conner finished, eyes wide.

"Bat-cave!" Kaylee giggled, running off down the stairs. The other two exchanged glances before following. The sight they found at the bottom had never crossed any of their minds.

Stone walls, tiled flooring, three-toed Dinosaur prints as lights, tables covered in machines and computers. They walked slowly, staring around in awe.

"Dude, this looks like the place from earlier!" Ethan realized.

"Um, I think it _is_ the place from earlier, genius," Kaylee laughed.

"Are you guys freaking out right now?" Conner inquired.

"Yeah…I'd have to say I am," Ethan nodded.

"Seriously_not_ normal," Kaylee stated. _Guess some things never change_.

"If you're looking for extra credit, you're in the wrong place," a voice told them, and the three teens turned to find Doctor Oliver standing there, looking none-too-pleased.


	2. Day of the Dino, Part 2

_Alright, so thanks to the people who have reviewed so far, another chapter goes up! As long as the comments and feedback keep coming, so will the chapters, because you guys are great motivation!_

_**WARNING!!! **Before continuing, you might wanna have read "Ninja Storm: Redone" by my friend Lily Hanson before you go on, or else some references and storyline may be lost on you. Thanks.__  
_

* * *

Day of the Dino, Part 2.

"Doctor Oliver, before you go off, can we explain why we're here?" Ethan inquired as they circle the room, facing their teacher.

"Dude, he's just gonna laugh when we tell him," Conner whispered.

"It's the truth," Ethan pointed out. "He'll believe us."

"In my time, I've realized adults have slim chances of believing teens when they talk about these sorts of things," Kaylee added.

"_These sorts of things_?" Conner frowned.

"Uh, never mind," she grinned.

"Alright…," Conner hesitated, looking up at Tommy. "Kira's gone."

"Well that's one way to put it," Kaylee sighed.

"She got taken by these weird dinosaur-looking things," Ethan elaborated.

"He doesn't look convinced," Conner said.

Quite the opposite in fact, Tommy sighed, turning away. "They're called Tyrannodrones."

"And you know what because…?" Ethan trailed off.

"He's Batman, remember?" Kaylee giggled.

"I helped create them," Tommy answered.

"Oh, class project?" Ethan questioned.

"Or Batman's evil scheme to overthrow Gotha...Reefside!" Kaylee exclaimed, making the boys send pointed looks her ways.

"You always get stuck on random subjects for long lengths of time?" Conner inquired.

She shrugged. "Sometimes…but mostly I'm just trying to brighten the mood here. It's a pretty dull-looking place. No offence Doctor Oliver."

"Don't worry about it," Tommy sighed, turning to face them again. "Look, it's a long story, but for now, we gotta figure out what they want with Kira."

"It…might have something have something to do with…," Conner trailed off, getting the red gem from his pocket as Ethan took out the blue and Kaylee revealed green and yellow. "These."

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

_Give…me…the gems…_

These words echoed in Kira's head as she awoke to an unfamiliar room. It was dark and walls were shaped weird with colors of black and dark purple. Computers were over by another wall and she heard the voice again as she sat up and slid off the metal bed.

"Who's there?" she called. "Come out where I can see you."

_Give…me…the gems…_

"This is about jewelry?" Kira scoffed, looking around. "Look pal, clearly you've got the wrong girl. I may wear a friendship bracelet once in a while but I—ah!"

She turned, seeing a tall…thing in a black cloak come up. His face was scaled and full of ridges, a lot like a Dinosaur's. His eyes were golden and his teeth sharp. "I have waited…far too long," he rasped, making her back up as he stood closer. "To allow an insignificant teenager…to get in my way. Now, where are the Dino Gems?"

"You mean those rock things we found in the cave?" Kira inquired trying to turn and run but suddenly he was in front of her again.

"Yessss," he hissed greedily.

"I gave mine to Conner…well now Kaylee has it because of the fuss she made…but yeah, I don't have it," she told him. She should've stopped there and tried to leave but unfortunately, a trademark family gene kicked in, one that made her ramble on when she was nervous or scared.

Normally it had never been a problem since she was Reefside High's loner but now, well… "You'll have to ask them. Can I go? My mom's gonna freak if I'm late for dinner. It's taco night."

In a whoosh of air he was suddenly gone, and Kira sighed heavily. "Okay that's it, no more cafeteria food," she chuckled. She turned around, and saw that a woman dressed in black with heavy black eye shadow and lipstick and gelled black hair stood there, hands on her hips.

"You'll be lucky if you ever see food again," she threatened.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"We're really sorry," Conner apologized as he, Ethan and Kaylee stood in front of Tommy, guilty looks on their faces. "How we're we supposed to know those things had super powers and those lizard dudes were gonna come looking for 'em?"

"Creepy tunnels…weird mad scientist lab…common sense," Kaylee numbered them off, using her fingers. Conner turned to glare at her.

"Didn't see you stopping from tagging along at any point," he pointed out.

"Hello, Claustrophobic here! I didn't know pink from purple with my fear kicking in!"

"I guess this isn't exactly something you see everyday," Tommy stated, turning around as he subconsciously moved around the four gems in his hands.

"Sorta like a science teacher with the ruins of an ancient civilization under his house?" Ethan inquired, looking around.

"Look, not that this isn't all really cool…," Conner began.

_And really familiar to the weirdness I got away from_…, Kaylee added in her head.

"But seriously, dude, you gotta come clean," Conner finished.

"First of all, don't call me _dude_," Tommy told him. "Second, as hard as this may seem, you three are gonna forget all about this. I'll find Kira."

"What?!" Kaylee yelled as Doctor Oliver turned and started towards his super computer. The short blonde glanced up at Conner. "Where'd your leadership sense go? You opened the lab first, you got us into this. Now you help and get Kira back!!!"

Wincing at her loud and assertive tone, he sped over and past Tommy with his Superspeed. He stopped him in his tracks as he skidded to a stop in the way. "The gem's power is already starting to bond with you," Tommy pointed out.

"You can tell us all about it now, or at my next parent teacher conference," Conner stated, a light threat hanging in his voice that made Tommy realize the boy wasn't gonna give up. He sighed heavily, coming to a decision.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"You got a name?" Kira attempted to make conversation as she backed up warily, the tall black-clad woman with thick dark make-up coming closer in menacing steps. "You kinda look familiar."

"My master calls me Elsa," she replied.

"Your_ master_?" Kira snorted. "Okay, whatever. Look, I'm gonna let myself out."

She turned around only to have Elsa grab onto her shoulder with a tight grip. Kira whirled around, ducking Elsa's punch and blocking a few more before grabbing her arm and twisting her shoulder at a hurtful angle.

As she was spun away by her opponent, she roundhouse kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying a few feet through the air where she landed, stood up and snarled angrily. She was holding her shoulder, so it was evident Kira had hurt her.

"Whoa…," Kira breathed, dropping from a fight stance to a more apologetic one. "I so did not mean to do that!"

She turned around, running towards the exit but was stopped when a tall and heavily-armored figure stepped through carrying an axe and shield. On his heels were a few of the lizard creatures from the forest.

"Meet Zeltrax," Elsa grinned.

"You two dating?" Kira laughed nervously. "Or just friends?"

Elsa glared at the back of Kira's head as Zeltrax lifted his axe, aiming to chop it off. Deciding to give this a try again, Kira opened her mouth and screamed, sending yellow waves of sonic energy at the monsters and Zeltrax and flooring them.

With one look over her shoulder at Elsa, Kira took off down the hall as fast as she could, the remnants of the woman's angry yells to pursue her fading away as she ran on.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"So when you said you helped create those Tyranno…," Ethan trailed off, unable to remember what the creatures from the forest had been called, "whatevers…you were just kidding right?"

"They weren't supposed to be used like this," Tommy told him, glancing sideways at the blue-cad boy seated in the passenger's seat. "Someone's modified their programming."

He went on for a few more minutes as they drove on, talking about his past in Dinosaur DNA with Anton Mercer, a rich man who'd gone missing a little while before the lab island got blown up. Sitting in the back it was evident that Kaylee and Conner were both bored and lost, whereas Ethan was having a nerdy-blast.

"And the guy who did this is back?" Conner inquired, finally getting annoyed.

"He calls himself Mesagog," Tommy replied.

"And you think he's after the gems?" the soccer star added, leaning forward from his seat behind Doctor Oliver.

"By now I think that's obvious," Kaylee pointed out. "But what's any of this got to do with finding Kira? I mean, c'mon, who knows what they're doing to her! We gotta find her!"

"We will," Tommy assured, looking in his rear-view mirror at the blonde sitting behind Ethan.

"By driving down a boring old road in the middle of nowhere?" she stated wryly. "I doubt it! If I was home in Blue Bay Harbor my friends would've been out all over town looking for her and Cam would be using his big computer-y brain to find her instead of sitting around and—"

They heard no more of her rant as she suddenly disappeared in a burst of green light, a weird '_zwop'_ noise resonating in the air after her. Tommy's foot slammed on the brake and thankfully no one was around as they skidded to a stop.

"What just happened?" he inquired as the boys exchanged glances.

"She teleported," Ethan stated matter-of-factly.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Kira ran as fast as she could down the dark hallway, trying to ignore the sounds of Zeltrax and his monsters following her a little ways away. She could hear him yell triumphantly and she frowned, wondering why.

A moment later she turned a corner and realized why - it was a dead end. Looking around wildly she took a wary step back as a green light formed in front of her, expanding.

_**ZWOP!**_

Suddenly, Kaylee was there.

"Kaylee? What the heck?" Kira cried.

"I have…no idea…but that was SO cool!" the blonde giggled. She then looked up, realized it was Kira standing there and launched herself at her, hugging her. "I found you! All on my own without the guys! I told them we should be looking but _nooooo_ they didn't wanna listen!"

"Look, I'm grateful, really, and I'm sure you can rub it in to the guys later but right now, we gotta get outta here!" Kira told her quickly, slipping from her grasp and looking over her shoulder worriedly. "There's a bunch of those freaky lizard things coming this way any moment now!"

"Tyrannodrones," Kaylee corrected.

"Huh?"

"Tommy called them Tyrannodrones."

"What's Doctor Oliver gotta do with this?"

"Never mind, here come the creepies!" Kaylee yelled, grabbing Kira's arm and picturing her seat in the back of Tommy's jeep in her head. "It better work! C'mon…c'mon…"

As Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones turned the corner, all they found was a fading green light and a loud '_zwop'_ noise. But no sign of Kira.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Where did she go?" Tommy cried.

"I dunno, last time it was only a few feet away that she teleported but…I don't see her anywhere near," Conner commented.

"Then we just have to stay here and wait," Ethan told them. "I mean, maybe she went to find Kira without us. She was pretty pissed we were just driving and talking."

"Yeah, but how long's _that_ gonna take?" Conner stated.

"Who cares, if we leave, she might port back with Kira and not know where to go," Ethan replied. "Besides, it's not like they're just gonna fall outta the sky."

_**ZWOP!**_

Kira and Kaylee were suddenly falling from teleportation. Kira landed right in Conner's lap, whereas Kaylee missed the car completely and landed on the asphalt beside it.

There was a moment of silence as everyone registered what had just happened.

As Ethan and Tommy got out of the car to help the green-clad girl, Kaylee grumbled and pushed herself to her feet. "Did you guys move the car? Because I remember it being right….there," she stated, pointing slightly to the left of where it was.

Kira then realized where she was sitting, and turned scarlet as Conner grinned. "KAYLEE!" she yelled, just a decibel below her superhuman scream as she jumped away, landing awkwardly on the seat beside him. She scrambled and fumbled with the door before getting it open and getting out, glaring at Kaylee from across the Jeep.

"What?" the blonde inquired innocently. "They moved the car! If they hadn't, we'd have landed perfectly in the two empty seats instead of you in Conner's lap and me with my face smooshed against the ground."

"How did you do that?" Ethan piped up, as his overly-popped out eyes still hadn't returned to normal since they'd ported in.

"I have no idea, one minute I'm being chased by Franken-lizards in this creepy lab, next Kaylee shows up in a flash of green and we're here!" Kira replied.

"Sitting on me," Conner added, before Kira glared and whacked him upside the head.

"Whatever, next time, I'm calling a cab," she said wryly. "Wait…what are you guys doing here? And…with our science teacher?"

"We came to rescue you," Ethan stated.

"Nice job, how's sitting around and doing nothing helping me?" Kira inquired.

"That's what I figured!" Kaylee smiled. "And then because I wanted to hurry up and find you so bad, ZWOP I went, and I did!"

"Zwop?" Conner frowned.

"Yeah, y'know, the sound I make when I teleport?" Kaylee grinned, teleporting a few feet away and then back making a '_zwop_' noise each time.

"Your skills of teleportation are pretty good if you managed to get to Kira without knowing where you were going," Tommy pointed out. "Usually someone with the power of teleportation has to see and know where they're going before they can teleport."

"Like Nightcrawler of Marvel Comics?" Ethan asked and Doctor Oliver nodded, causing the other three to stare at them blankly in silence.

Their silence was interrupted by a horde Tyrannodrones and Zeltrax arriving at the end of the road through a purple-colored flash. Kaylee frowned, glaring at them. "No fair! Teleportation is totally _my_ trick! And they don't even _zwop_!"

The four teens stood together as Tommy joined them, standing in front. "Mesagog find a new goon to do his dirty work for him?" he taunted.

"You are not fit to speak my master's name," Zeltrax growled. "Come with me peacefully or suffer the consequences."

"I'm gonna have to say…no!" Tommy stated, triggering Zeltrax's attack. He ducked the axe swing and got right into battle against him and a Tyrannodrone using fighting moves the teens never knew he had.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Kira was over by the grass, fighting back-to-back with Kaylee against half a dozen Tyrannodrones. As Kira blocked an oncoming attack and grabbed the lizard's arm, flipping him onto the ground, Kaylee kicked out, flooring another.

Nodding at one another they dispersed, kicking and punching and blocking. As the Tyrannodrones regrouped and came at them, swinging their sharp arms wildly, the girls flipped backwards again and again, landing side-by-side and taunting the monsters with their fingers.

Rushing forward, they split again, and Kira jumped forward, kicking one lizard while punching the other. Kaylee on the other hand twirled her arms at her sides, punching one monster in the face and back-flipping to kick another in the head.

She teleported to Kira, grabbed her and teleported a few feet away, watching as the monsters regrouped in a perfect fashion for Kira's liking. She opened her mouth and unleashed another blast of sonic scream energy, sending them all sprawling.

"Okay, that's just crazy," she commented.

"Why complain, we kicked their butts!" Kaylee grinned.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Ethan ducked the swipe of a monster and kicked another behind him before running towards a stack of boxes beside a wheelbarrow on the side of the road. Seething with adrenaline, he kicked into a box, flipping it through the air where it connected with a monster's head and burst.

Chuckling to himself, Ethan rushed at the nearest monster, planning to attack but merely winding up with a knee to his stomach and seconds later, asphalt to the face. He growled angrily, pushing himself to his feet as another Tyrannodrone attacked.

This time he was ready as he brought his arm up and it covered itself with an invulnerable layer of blue scales. Smirking, he used his free scaled hand to smash into the creature's face, knocking it out as others rushed forward. Continuing to use his scale-covered arms, Ethan blocked more attacks and thrust his arms out again and again, smashing them into the faces of tons of lizard monsters.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Closer to the road compared to his classmates, Conner fought his battle. He dodged the rush of a sliding Tyrannodrone by jumping away, up over another lizard that he kicked in the back when he landed.

That was of course, seconds before getting kicked in the back himself and rolling forward across the road. He got up only to see they'd followed quickly, and blocked the arm of one before knocking it to the ground and smirking.

"Now you see me…," he began, taunting a monster before him.

It growled and rushed forward, only to find nothing there as Conner zoomed past in Superspeed, crossing his arms and looking relaxed like there was nothing to it. As it turned and ran at him, he kicked backwards, making it falter as he flipped over it's head, his foot connecting with it's skull as they both came crashing down.

Conner looked up at the passed out monster and smirked again. "Now you're unconscious."

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

All four teens and Doctor Oliver regrouped on the road near their car, all sporting fighting stances as Tommy grinned. "Make sure you tell your master; Doctor Oliver's back."

"I will inform him that this battle is over, but the war has only just begun," Zeltrax growled, bringing his shield up in front of him as he and the Tyrannodrones ported away in purple light.

"Again with the power stealing!" Kaylee whined.

"That's the best he could do?" Ethan inquired as they walked back towards the Jeep.

"Let's get outta here," Tommy told them. "It's getting late. I don't want your parents to worry."

"I bet you don't," Conner stated. "You might have to explain something."

"I'll fill you in tomorrow afterschool," Tommy promised.

"Guess that means we still have detention," Kira sighed as she, Kaylee and Conner clambered into the back of the Jeep.

"You sure you don't want your previous seat?" Conner grinned, earning the biggest death glare he'd ever seen from the dirty blonde. "Just kidding!"

"Speaking of food, let's go! I'm seriously hungry!" Kaylee exclaimed.

She was oblivious to the three pairs of confused looks that turned her way, wondering what the hell food had to do with any of this as Tommy started up the car.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

The bell rang at Reefside High the next morning as Ethan, Conner, Kira and Kaylee filed into class. The two girls, who'd been immersed in talk of music and lyrics, were jolted apart by a snobby blonde holding a recorder.

"Kira Ford, Cassidy Cornell, Reefside News Network," she introduced herself swiftly.

"Cassidy, I know who you are, we've been at school together for a painfully_ long_ time," Kira quipped, stopping at her seat.

"Yes, anyway," Cassidy went on. "What can you tell me about the mysterious goings-on at Reefside? For example; the sudden friendship between you, Conner McKnight, Ethan James and new girl Kaylee Hanson."

"Right here you know," Kaylee stated, but was ignored. Ethan and Conner, from their separate tables and groups in the science lab, looked over, intrigued.

"Look—" Kira began but was cut-off.

"Or better yet – the strange creatures that appeared out of nowhere and attacked you in broad daylight yesterday"? Cassidy pressed. "What about that, huh?"

"Look, other than being Kaylee's friend and hanging with her, I have no idea what you're talking about," Kira stated, earning an annoyed sigh from the reporter. "And as you can see, I'm just fine. But you…you look kind of um…"

"Pasty?" Kaylee suggested, and Kira snapped her fingers, nodding.

"Ignoring how weird that twin thing was, did you just say _pasty_?" Cassidy inquired, her voice cracking. "Are you serious? I hate fluorescent lighting!"

As Kira rolled her eyes and took her seat with Kaylee, Tommy came in and politely asked Cassidy – now frantically checking herself out in her compact mirror – to sit down. Grinning sheepishly, she scurried to her seat.

"She reminds me _so_ much of someone back home," Kaylee whispered to Kira, who smiled.

"Guess everyone's got their superficial-stuck-up Barbie Doll. Ours is Cassidy," she stated.

"In Blue Bay, it's Marah," Kaylee told her.

"Marah? What kind of a name is Marah?" Kira inquired.

"Don't know," the other girl shrugged. "I just call her bug head."

"Okay, so, today we'll be talking about the Mesozoic period," Tommy spoke, drawing attention back to him. "Who can tell me when it all began?"

None of his students could answer with anything more than surprised yells as the whole place shook furiously – like an earthquake. The lights then went out everywhere, before back-up generators kicked in and dimmer lights turned on.

Students rushed towards the window as the sky went black and lightning and thunder rung out. As panicked cries erupted from the students, only Kaylee, Kira, Conner, Ethan and Cassidy remained in their seats.

"Hmm, I wonder if the guys came to visit," Kaylee pondered, slightly aloud, causing Kira to frown at her. "Nothing!"

Through the open door came Devin, running at tops speeds and he skidded to a stop beside Cassidy, a large goofy grin plastered on his face. "Cass, you're never gonna believe this!"

"Lemme guess, the sky just went black in the middle of the day?" Cassidy asked.

"It did?" Devin was confused, before remembering why he was here. "I just heard this whack report about mechanical dinosaurs attacking downtown!"

Tommy's head snapped up at this. "Oh, grab your camera!" Cassidy told Devin, grabbing his hand and heading towards the door.

"Wait, hold it you two!" Doctor Oliver called, just as the intercom turned on.

_Students remain calm. The mayor has declared a state of emergency. Please report to the front of the school for immediate dismissal! Again…_

As Principal Randall repeated her announcement and students rushed out of class, Tommy approached Kira, Kaylee, Ethan and Conner.

"Dr. O, now would be a really good time to uh, y'know…," Kira stated.

"Have that little chat!" Kaylee squeaked.

"We're out of time," Tommy replied. "If Mesogog revived the Biozords, we gotta act fast. Come with me."

As he rushed out, the four teens exchanged glances. "What's the worst that could happen?" Ethan shrugged.

"Why say that? Haven't you seen enough movies to know to _never_ say that?" Kaylee inquired.

Despite this, they all followed him.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"So these mechanical Dinosaurs, they're your friends?" Kira asked.

"The Biozords," Tommy stated, turning to face the four teens as they entered his basement laboratory. "Fusion-powered replicates using actual Dinosaur DNA for neural functions."

"Huh?" Kaylee frowned, confused.

"They look, act and think like the Dinosaurs they're built like," Ethan told her before turning to look at Doctor Oliver. "And lemme guess, you helped build them?"

"I'm afraid so," Tommy sighed; now standing by his large computer system. "But right now we…I mean you, have to tame them."

Unbelieving laughter echoed among the teens, and Ethan began to turn away. "I'll B-B-L if it's all the same to you."

"What's that mean?" Tommy inquired, now needing translation of his own.

"Be Back Later," Ethan stated.

"Ethan wait," the paleontologist called, walking towards him with a determined face. "You can do this. But you won't have to do it alone."

"Ever since I found the Dino Gems," he added, walking towards a table in the center of the room where a steaming meteor rock with four gems had been previously. "I've had these waiting. In case I ever needed to harness their powers."

"Into what?" Kira inquired, as Tommy opened the briefcase on the table.

Inside were four little contraptions, no bigger than their hands that were attached to metal wristbands. Each was a different color and designed after a different Dinosaur.

"What the heck are those?" Kaylee asked.

"Dino Morphers," Tommy replied, eyeing the teens. "Use these to become Power Rangers."

Conner laughed. Kira scoffed and Ethan and Kaylee's eyes widened – but for different reasons.

It was evident for Ethan, it was in shock, as his knees weakened and he backed up. "I think I may need to sit down."

"Breathe, dude, breathe," Conner chuckled, helping him back to his feet.

"We can't be Power Rangers," Kira stated, and Tommy looked at her questioningly. "Aren't you supposed to fly, or have superhuman strength and, stuff like that?"

"Uh Kira," Kaylee smiled, tapping her friend on the shoulder. "Duh?"

"Oh yeah…," the dirty blonde nodded, remembering their fights with the Tyrannodrones. "I forgot."

"Your Gems are from the asteroid that crashed into Earth millions of years ago, wiping out the entire Dinosaur population," Tommy explained. "When I found them, I recognized their power and hid them, so that they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."

"How do you know these are the right hands?" Conner inquired.

"Because they're not being wrung together in maniacal evil laughter as plans of world domination form around us," Kaylee pointed out.

"Not exactly," Tommy laughed. "More like…the Gems are yours. You didn't choose them; they chose you."

"Can't they unchoose us?" Kira asked as Tommy walked off to his computer.

"They've already bonded to your DNA," Tommy told them. "Its what gave you your powers."

"So if they're already bonded with us…," Ethan began. "How Mesagog and his creeps are still after them?"

Tommy walked back over to them, a somber look on his face. "The only way these powers can be taken away is if you're destroyed."

"Um, that does not sound pleasant," Kaylee shook her head.

"Yeah, for future reference, that's not a great selling point," Ethan agreed.

"Look, all I know is that I don't remember asking to be a super hero," Conner exclaimed.

"The Gems wouldn't have bonded to you if you didn't already have something inside you that could handle the power," Tommy explained, returning to stand behind the briefcase and push it towards them. "Please."

Exchanging glances, the four teens nodded and each took the wristband gadget with a matching color to their Dino Gem, examining them.

Conner's was in the shape of a red Tyrannosaurus head, with grey spikes on its face and a yellow eye. Ethan's took the shape of a blue Triceratops head, its grey nose and head horns sticking out and contrasting with its green eye. Kira's was much more pointed, in the image of a yellow Pterodactyl with it's pale grey bump on it's head and flashing red eye. And lastly was Kaylee with a green one much like Conner's, but instead of the spikes on it's face it had a slight fin at it's neck, along with a blue eye.

"So now what?" Ethan inquired as Kaylee pressed on the ends of the jaw, watching as her Spinosaur's mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, opened and closed. "Do we need some kind of secret password or command?"

"It's called a roll call," Kaylee said absently, earning a curious glance from the three. She realized what she had said and grinned sheepishly. "What?! I liked Power Rangers when I was…ah…younger! So sue me!"

"She's right, it's a roll call," Tommy stated. "And all you four have to say is '_Dino Thunder, Power Up_' and you'll be transformed. You'll know to do."

"Dino Thunder…," Conner chuckled, looking at Ethan. "What, did you come up with that?"

"I kinda like it," Ethan smiled.

"You would," Conner smirked, making the girls roll their eyes.

"Look, I know you four are from different worlds, I get it," Tommy stated.

"That's an understatement," Kira muttered.

"But you're gonna have to work together, or this'll never happen," he told them. "This won't be easy; nobody knows that better than I do. But you're gonna have to believe in yourselves. Cuz I believe in you."

"Really?" Conner questioned.

"Really," Tommy nodded.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Downtown, three large Biozords regrouped near one of the main parks. The flyer landed on a building nearby while the large two-legged creature lumbered near and the four-legged one followed.

Tommy pulled his Jeep as close as he could to the area. "Okay, this is it," he stated as everyone climbed out.

"That must be them," the soccer star breathed as they looked up.

"Wow, good call Conner," Kira quipped.

A strange noise was heard and in a flash of purple Zeltrax appeared, causing the five to stand together at the ready.

"You'll have to get past me if you want those Zords."

"This part I'm looking forward to," Conner smirked.

"You guys ready?" Ethan asked.

"Oh yeah!" Kira and Kaylee nodded, smiling.

"Ready!" Conner yelled, bringing his wrist up near his chest.

"Ready!" the other three chorused, following suit.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!" they all called as their Morphers glowed. With a series of twists and turns and a rush of power, latex suits molded to their bodies, each in their own Dino Gem color as faint Dinosaur roars pushed them along.

They stood together after their morph, new flashy suits on and in their battle stance before breaking their concentration to examine their new attire.

"Whoa!" Ethan breathed.

"This totally rocks!" Kira smiled.

"Cool!" Kaylee agreed.

"Oh yeah!" Conner pumped his fists into the air happily.

"So you're Power Rangers," Zeltrax growled, clenching his fists.

"Call your weapons; they're in your belt!" Tommy instructed, and Kaylee had half a mind to tell him she knew what she was doing, but decided against it for the time being.

"You got it Dr. O!" Conner nodded, before their belts began to glow. "Whoa! Check it out!"

As their weapons materialized from the glow, more calls of awe echoed amongst them.

"Sweet, a Tyranno Staff!" Conner grinned, wrapping his fists around the red and white staff with a menacing T-Rex head at the end of it.

"I can come to grips with this," Kira nodded, bringing sharp yellow daggers, modeled like Pterodactyl heads, into a comfortable position in her hands. "Ptera Grips!"

"Always knew what my Dino would be!" Kaylee giggled as she cracked a green whip that looked to be made of a spinal chord with the jaw and part of the Spinosaurus head being where she held it. "Spino Whip!"

"Tricera Shield!" Ethan finished as the blue and sharp shield, modeled after a Triceratops head, buckled to his arm. They took a step forward, aiming their weapons at Zeltrax.

"Enough!" he yelled, as more than a dozen Tyrannodrones ported in through purple electric fields, growling and rushing forward. Tightening their grip on their weapons, the Rangers met them halfway.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Kira was able to block the sharp arms of the creature with her Ptera Grips, before swinging one down and slashing it across the chest, creating a shower of sparks. She repeated the process against a handful of others before crouching to her knees and swinging her daggers against two passing Tyrannodrones, flipping them over in a flurry of sparks.

She stood up and kicked and blocked a monster with her feet before thrusting her blades into its chest and kicking it to the ground. She turned, going on her knees again and swinging all around her, meeting blade and arm and flesh as she went.

Kicking a creature in the shin she jumped backwards, flipping through the air until she landed a few feet away and taunted a monster to attack. "That all you got?"

One monster attempted to take her on, but she jumped through air, kicking it backwards again and again until it hit the ground amidst more of its kind.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Ethan was next to test his weapon, swinging it in a circle around him and smashing its sharp and horned tip into monster after monster. He kicked upwards, catching on in the jaw before bringing the shield down on it. It blocked with an arm and kicked him in the stomach, making him skid back a few steps.

They swarmed him, forcing him into a crouching position before he cried out, swinging his shield wildly as it connected with them and caused sparks to burst forward as they went flying towards the asphalt.

Getting to his feet he drove the spike into the chest of a monster before pulling and throwing it off behind him into a row of its own kind, sending them all crashing down.

"See ya!" he grinned.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Kaylee was having a blast. It had been a long time since she'd been in the heat of battle, and having a new suit and weapon made it ten times better.

She back-flipped over a Tyrannodrone's head, cracking her whip at the back of its head when she landed. It turned, clearly pissed off and snarled, running towards her. She wrapped her whip around its legs and pulled with all her might, causing it to trip and fall.

Avenging its fall, two more rushed at her, and she roundhouse kicked one, but the other caught her foot. She steadied herself as it pulled, and stood on an angle with her hands on the ground. As the monster kept pulling, she slowly lifted one hand and reached out towards the Spino Whip she had dropped.

"Just a little further…," she whispered, and grinned as she grasped the weapon. "Aha!" Cracking it behind her, she hid the Tyrannodrone in the face and wrapped it around his torso, pulling him to the ground as she jumped up.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Conner swung the staff around, keeping the monsters at a safe radius before smashing it against the legs of a few and causing them to fall in a shower of sparks. "Have a nice trip!" he grinned, before proceeding to jab a few others with the staff and send them flying off. "See you next fall!"

With the Tyranno Staff perched across his shoulders he ran through a group of them, hitting them in the face and flooring them. He brought it back to his hands just in time to block a joint kick from two monsters and push them away.

Spinning the Staff around again, sparks burst into action whenever the Tyranno head on the end of the Staff connected with a monster and it bit down with sharp teeth. Conner smirked, driving it into the chest of a rushing monster and showering it with sparks as it fell.

He spun his weapon in his hands before flipping through the air overtop of a few monsters. When he landed, he swung the staff forward, flooring them all as brightly-colored sparks erupted from their chests.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"Freeze!" Ethan called, stepping up to Zeltrax.

"You first!" he cried, sending a purple-colored beam of light at the Blue Ranger that wrapped around him, sending vast amounts of volts through his system before flinging him away, where he smashed into a tree and fell to the ground.

"Ethan!" Kaylee called as she, Conner and Kira jumped in, standing protective in front of him.

This did nothing as seconds later Zeltrax fired off small lasers, blasting them all off their feet as their were hit by the beams and sparks went flying. Conner looked up, glaring even if his opponent couldn't see it through the helmet.

"Rangers!" Tommy called. "Combine your weapons!"

"Right!" Conner nodded, pushing himself to his feet alongside the others.

Using Ethan's Tricera Shield as a base, Conner's Tyranno Staff folded in half and he placed it, T-Rex head facing Zeltrax, onto the shield. Kira's Ptera Grips were then added, creating a tunnel for which the laser to fire through and Kaylee's Spino Whip locked into place around the mix, forming the weapon.

As Conner held the triggers to the weapon, Kira and Kaylee stood at his sides, steadying the weapon while Ethan crouched beneath it, using his shoulders to direct it at Zeltrax.

"Z-Rex Blaster!" they cried together. "Ready! Fire!"

A large multi-colored beam shot forward, smashing into Zeltrax and sending him sprawling as the weapon broke back into its four separate pieces, returning to their owner's hands.

"We did it!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Course we did!" Kaylee smiled.

"You've showed me your weapons," Zeltrax growled, backing up. "Now meet mine!"

As he teleported away in a flash of purple (insert Kaylee's complaint here), the three Biozords came stomping (or flying) towards them. The Rangers rejoined Tommy and looked up at the sky as a huge ship shaped like a stingray glided above the buildings.

Lasers burst out from it, and the Rangers and Tommy went flying through the air as explosions went off behind them. They rushed towards the Jeep.

"Okay, how do we fight that?" Ethan inquired.

"You three have got to tame the Zords," Tommy told Blue, Red and Yellow Dino Rangers.

"Three? What about Kaylee?" Kira frowned, glancing at the Green Dino Ranger.

"Only the Tyranno, Petra and Tricera Zords have been unleashed," Tommy explained.

"Oh…," Kira nodded, and Kaylee sighed.

"Oh well, guess I get to sit this one out," she shrugged sadly. _Again…_

"Listen," Tommy stated, drawing the attention back to the Biozord matter. "Concentrate and your Morphers will communicate your thoughts to the Zords."

"Let's go!" Conner nodded, and he, Ethan and Kira rushed off towards the Dino Zords.

"And here I am again, fourth wheel to the three Zord-getters. Even the second time around I don't get one," Kaylee sighed, and then gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth as she looked at Tommy, aware she had spoken her thoughts aloud.

"It's alright, I know who you are," Tommy told her, smiling. "It's why I had confidence in you four knowing that you'd had experience in the matter before."

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

"They're huge," Conner breathed as they skidded to a stop in front of the towering machines.

"That's an understatement," Kira told him.

"Calm down boy," Ethan stepped forward, seeing as how the Tricera Zord was scraping it's front foot against the ground, ready to charge. Hearing him it slowed down slightly, as in pondering. Speaking into his morpher, Ethan went on. "That's right…I'm your friend…"

Sensing it was the right time, Ethan thrust his fist into the air as his Morpher glowed blue. "Tricera Zord!" he called. Echoing his call with its roar, the Zord, which had been gray up until now, stood on its hind legs as it turned blue, green eyes flashing.

"It worked!" Ethan grinned as the others nodded their congratulations.

"Okay, my turn," Kira stated, her Morpher close as she looked up at the dinosauric bird perched atop a high building. "Ptera Zord! We can do this, if you'll let me!"

The Zord expanded its wings, crying out into the dark sky as its coloring became yellow and its red eyes flared with understanding.

"Awesome!" Kira smiled, as her and Ethan's Zord moved out towards the much taller and much bigger T-Rex machine. Wincing as their Zords were hit by the T-Rex's spinning tail, she looked at the Red Ranger. "Conner, you've got to do something. You're Zord's outta control!"

"C'mon, I need you to work with me here!" Conner yelled.

Hearing his voice, the Zord turned away from the other two and stomped towards him, but didn't look like it was for friendly purposes. Conner clutched his Morpher. "Tyranno Zord!"

It stopped in its tracks as its head swayed slightly, before roaring as red covered its body and its yellow eyes turned from viral to calming. "Yes!" Conner smiled, and Kaylee and Tommy rejoined them.

"Only one more thing to do," Tommy stated.

"Bring 'em together!" Kaylee smiled, and the others nodded, figuring she knew this because Tommy had told her while they'd worked on befriending the Zords.

"Okay," Conner stated, as he and the other two brought their wrists close. "Let's do it!"

All together they jumped high into the air and were drawn to their Zords, phasing into the cockpits designed on the inside.

"Combine Power!" they called together, and soon their Zords were assembled and ready, having made the Thundersaurus Megazord.

As Tommy and the ever-morphed Kaylee watched, the other Rangers battled Zeltrax's ship, eventually finding a weak point near the back of the ship that they hit with the Drill Arm, exploding the large sting-ray-shaped aircraft.

As the Rangers cheered, and Tommy and Kaylee smiled, sparks almost like fireworks descended upon the city, and unbeknownst to them, Zeltrax returned to Mesogog's lair alongside Elsa to be telepathically tortured for their failure.

xX-Day-Of-The-Dino-Xx

Tommy opened the briefcase from earlier, revealing where the morphers had been put back. As faint echoes of their representing Dinosaurs sounded, the Morphers transformed into silver wristbands, with the Dino Gems carefully fitted onto the top.

"Keep these bracelets with you at all times," Tommy told them as one by one, Ethan, Kaylee, Conner and Kira picked up their respective bracelets, examining them carefully. "They'll access your morphers when you need them. And you can use these to communicate with me, or with each other."

"Dr. O I know you're real smart, being a science teacher and all but this is…," Kira trailed off, frowning. "I mean how did you…?"

"Manage all this?" Kaylee finished, and both girls earned arched eyebrows from the boys, which they ignored.

"I'll fill you in," Tommy promised. "In time."

"Speaking of time," Ethan began. "Think Mesogog's gonna stick around for a while?"

"Unfortunately, they always do," Tommy replied.

"They?" Conner inquired.

"The bad guys, duh," Kaylee giggled. "Y'know, the freaks that tried to kills us…uh…how many times are we at now?"

"So far, three," Kira stated.

"I know this is hard to take in," Tommy told them.

"That's for sure," Ethan nodded.

"You're lives are changing in ways you probably couldn't have imagined," he went on. "But as long as you work together, and remember; you're a team. No one can defeat you. No one."

The four teens exchanged glances, his words settling at just what their futures held for them.


	3. Wave Goodbye

_**WARNING!!! **__Before continuing, you might wanna have read "Ninja Storm: Redone" by my friend Lily Hanson before you go on, or else some references and storyline may be lost on you. Thanks._

* * *

**Wave Goodbye.**

"Hayley's Cyberspace?" Kira frowned, looking up the sign above the building entrance. Turning to her right she noticed a tall, brown-haired soccer jock approaching and she waved. "Conner!"

"Ethan call you too?" he asked as he walked up to her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "He said it was super important. What is this place anyway?"

"No idea. How 'bout Kaylee?"

"Don't know. She phoned and told me she'd meet us here. Let's check inside, see if she's already there or something."

They headed inside, looking around and taking in the sights. Couches in one area, computers lined up in another, tables and chairs in the middle part, a stage and a bar with all sorts of things behind it. They'd just walked into a regular cyber café.

"Wow," Conner breathed, chuckling. "He lives here?"

"I think he wishes he lived here," Kira laughed.

"There they are!" they heard Kaylee's voice, and looked towards the computer area as the blonde in question and Ethan walked up.

"Our brother and sister in crime!" Ethan grinned, before leaning closer. "Or at least, crime-fighting. Welcome to my world."

"Yeah, I guess kinda it's cool," Conner nodded as the three followed Ethan. "In a techno-retro-dorky sorta way."

"Pick one term, will you?" Kira inquired, and he grinned down at her.

"You could do anything here," Ethan stated happily. "Games, chat online, listen to music, eat or drink."

"I'm thinking of applying for a waitressing job," Kaylee told them. "You know, once I've settled into the whole Reefside life, complete with extra-curricular activities."

"Who came up with the idea for this?" Kira asked.

"That would be Hayley," Ethan replied, pointing towards a dark redhead at the bar who looked to be in her late twenties as she spoke with a customer. She looked over, smiling. "She's a techno legend! M.I.T graduate. Programming genius."

"Sounds like your greatest dreams and…uh…dreams!" Kaylee laughed.

"Yeah well, she got tired of the big companies and decided to open up this place," Ethan finished, smiling.

"Good thing for you," Kira commented.

"No lie," the Blue Ranger nodded.

"Anyway, so…what's so important?" Conner inquired, stepping closer and draping his right arm around Ethan and some of Kaylee, and testing his left arm around Kira's shoulders, wondering if he was gonna get killed for this or not.

"I just figured, hey, if we're gonna be saving the world together, I wanted you guys to see what I'm about," Ethan told them.

"Heh, okay whatever dude," Conner chuckled, dropping his arm from Ethan and Kaylee, but just to annoy Kira, he counted the seconds.

"Conner," her voice held a warning and he dropped his arm.

Twelve seconds. New record.

"Hey guys," Hayley smiled warmly as she walked up. "What can I get you?"

"I'll just have lemonade," Kira shrugged.

"Oh, that's easy," Hayley smiled, leading her off towards the counter. The other three followed closely behind. "Kira right?"

"Yeah…how'd you know?"

"Oh, I'm all about information," the Cyberspace owner explained. "It's my business. Now, Kaylee, come here too, please."

"Reporting for duty!" Kaylee grinned, saluting her as the others frowned. "Right. Sorry. I don't work here…"

"Yet," Ethan added, and she grinned.

"Now, you two play guitar, and sing, right?" Hayley inquired.

"Yeah," they nodded, exchanging glances as the boys talked about other things.

"How about tomorrow, it being Friday and the end of the week, you two and your band perform here. We'll call it an audition."

"Well, yeah! I mean, that would be great!" Kira smiled happily. She turned to smile at Kaylee. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Um…problem," Kaylee grinned sheepishly.

"What is it?" Kira frowned.

"My boyfriend's coming to visit and I promised I'd spend the afternoon with him once we get outta school," Kaylee explained. "I'll be here but…I won't have time for a set cuz…"

"Don't worry, I get it," Kira nodded, having been explained in the week since they'd become Rangers how Kaylee and her sister lived here in Reefside in an apartment together, but family and friends and even her sister's teaching job were back in Blue Bay Harbor.

"Alright, Kira, how bout it?" Hayley inquired. "You get the spot; Kaylee can perform as well, on the Fridays with you."

"Deal," Kira nodded.

"See you then," Hayley smiled before walking off behind the counter.

"Okay, I love her!" Kira grinned and Kaylee nodded enthusiastically.

"That's Hayley," Ethan told her. "There's not one kid in here she hasn't helped out somehow."

"Hasn't helped me," Conner muttered.

"Conner McKnight, the soccer player," the redhead grinned as she returned with Kira's lemonade. "I'm surprised you're not at the open tryouts for the Reefside Wave."

"Open tryouts?" Conner's interested was caught.

"Yeah, you know, the practice game that gives any and all players a chance to get noticed by the coaches of popular and famous teams," Kaylee stated matter-of-factly.

"I know what it is, I'm not an idiot," Conner scoffed and the others gave him a look. "At least not when it comes to soccer! I was just asking if she was serious about open tryouts!"

"Yeah, at their practice field," Hayley told him. "Right now."

"You're kidding, right?" he inquired.

"Does she look like she's kidding?" Kaylee giggled, as Hayley kept a straight smile.

"You were saying?" Ethan commented and Conner looked at them before running off as fast as he could (without Superspeed).

"Good luck, Conner!" Kira called after him, but he was out the door. She then realized something, handing her lemonade to Kaylee. "I gotta go too! I gotta put a set list together, and restring my guitar!"

Kaylee then realized something as well, using her free hand to slap her forehead. "I gotta help her if I want that Friday spot alongside her! Here!"

She handed the lemonade to Ethan, who smiled as they ran off and out of Cyberspace. "Nothing like spreading the love," he grinned, walking across towards the computers. His Dino Gem bracelet beeped halfway and he ducked out of sight, making sure no one noticed him. "Yeah Doc, you got Ethan."

"Can you meet me out at the end of Riverside Road in an hour?"

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"Just be there. And I'll fill you in."

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

Conner ran across the field in his red soccer uniform, heading the ball passed from another player right past the goalie and into the net. As coaches watched and the actual Reefside Wave team warmed up, Conner proceeded in getting the ball from one side of the field to the other, keeping it away from at least four other guys along the way.

He kicked the ball towards the goalie, who caught it, then threw it back with good force and height – but Conner was quicker. He jumped into the air, flipping and kicked the ball as he did, sending it blasting past the goalie into the net as he landed.

"Who is that kid?" the coach asked in assistant, but the man had no idea. Instead, one of the players stood up from stretching to answer.

"That's Conner McKnight," he replied. "He's still in high school, plays on the local club team."

"Hmm," the coach nodded, opening his booklet and jotting down notes.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

"So, you sure you're gonna have enough time to help set up tomorrow?" Kira grinned as she sat on her bed, scribbling away on her notepad, making a set list. "You sure you won't be _too_ busy with the boyfriend in town?"

"Heh, least I have one," Kaylee teased, sitting cross-legged on the floor of Kira's room, re-stringing the girl's guitar for her.

"Yeah, like I could ever get a boyfriend when I'm labeled as school loner," Kira pointed out.

"Aww, don't say that!" Kaylee exclaimed. "You gotta be optimistic! There's probably a bunch of guys at Reefside that'd wanna go out with you!"

"And yet, here I am, making a list of songs to perform at a Cyber Café that Ethan could _live_ in," the dirty blonde sighed.

"We could go see Conner's tryouts, cuz y'know, he seemed to not mind_at all_ when you landed in his lap the day we became Rangers," Kaylee grinned, but her smiled faded as Kira looked over, glaring. "Uh-oh."

She jumped to her feet to avoid the pillow that was hurled her way, and thanked the gods for reflexes she'd developed at the Academy in Blue Bay Harbor as she dodged another. "I have the guitar! Careful of the precious guitar!"

"Oh don't worry, I have pretty good aim," Kira chuckled, tossing another pillow.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

"After the island exploded, some of my experiments were scattered all throughout this area," Tommy told Ethan as they trudged through the forest. Eventually, they came upon something that looked like a nest of twigs and resting in the middle were four glowing eggs.

"What are they?" Ethan inquired as he stared at the red, yellow, blue and green eggs.

"Eggs," Tommy stated the obvious.

"Oh it's cool Dr.O, I just had lunch a couple of hours ago," Ethan grimaced.

"We're not gonna eat them. We're gonna hatch them. And you're gonna ride them."

"Maybe it's all this quiet out here that's got me hearing things, but I thought you just said we're gonna ride these."

"I did. Trust me Ethan, when these things are ready; they're gonna be a big help to us."

"Alright whatever you say," Ethan chuckled, helping Tommy place the four eggs into a black backpack for safekeeping and transport. It was then that they noticed a shape zoom by, and they stood up.

"You saw that, right?" Ethan inquired.

"We've got to protect the eggs at all costs," Tommy stated, slinging the backpack over his arm.

"Protect them?" Ethan frowned. "Who would want to hurt them?"

"I would," someone stated and as they looked up, Elsa stepped out from behind a tree, leaning on it as Zeltrax joined her and Tyrannodrones surrounded the area.

"I'm starting to have my doubts about your intelligence Doctor Oliver," Zeltrax chuckled, as a Tyrannodrone snuck up behind the Ranger and teacher, and tried to grab the bag. "Attack!"

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

Conner rushed forward, kicking the ball towards the goal before his Dino Gem bracelet beeped.

_Guys! We could use some Dino help out here!_

"Oh no," Conner groaned as Ethan's words came through, and the ball was stolen by an opposing team member. "Not now."

Looking around frantically, he sighed heavily and took off across the field.

"Where you going?" the coach yelled after him.

"I'm sorry! I'll be back as soon as I can!" he replied, running off.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

Down the street he met up with Kaylee and Kira, and cursed Ethan's horrible timing as they ran off in the direction their morphers indicated.

"You got the call?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yeah, and I was right in the middle of tryouts!" Conner muttered angrily. "I'm so screwed!"

"I'm sure they'll understand," the blonde pointed out.

"How? It's not like I can say, '_oh sorry I ditched, I had to go save my friend's butt from freaky lizard monsters_.' I'd sound crazy!" he reminded her.

"Oh…right," Kaylee sighed.

"Guys, we better morph before we get there," Kira stated as they slowed down in an alley. "Who knows what kinda trouble Ethan got into."

"Wait a sec," Conner grinned, his sour mood falling away as he laughed and removed a pencil that had been resting behind her ear. "You plan to attack the Tyrannodrones with this or something?"

"Oh, no, we were just planning the set list for Friday and I kinda forgot that was there," Kira laughed, taking it from him and stashing it in a pocket. Kaylee grinned at her and she resisted the urge to swat the smile off the girl's face like a fly.

"Ready?" he asked them, and they nodded.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

All three teens morphed into their Ranger suits before taking off, letting their morphers guide them to their calling Blue Ranger.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

As Ethan was kicked into a tree by two Tyrannodrones, Kira and Conner arrived to block and cover him as their sharp arms were brought down on him. Kaylee then removed them from the area by wrapping her Whip around their legs and pulling.

"You guys couldn't have done this another day?" Conner complained.

"Don't tell me; tell them!" Ethan retorted, pointing as a swarm of Tyrannodrones rushed towards the four teens.

"Let's make it quick!" Conner called, swinging his weapon around. "Tyranno Staff!"

"Ptera Grips!"

"Spino Whip!"

"Tricera Shield!"

As Conner continued to complain about missing practice and doing something more important; the four Rangers battled on, taking down Tyrannodrones left, right and center.

Eventually they dispatched the team of lizard creatures, rushing off the find Doctor Oliver fighting both Zeltrax and Elsa. When Elsa was kicked away with a throbbing wrist, Zeltrax ran to her side and the Rangers stepped in.

"Aww how cute! They're like the Emo Barbie and Ken!" Kaylee giggled.

"We're not though with you Power Rangers," Elsa threatened, getting up.

"Nor you, Doctor Oliver," Zeltrax added, before he and Elsa teleported away.

"We have to get these back to my lab," Tommy stated, peering into the backpack in his hands.

"What are they?" Kira inquired.

"Is it my Zord!?" Kaylee exclaimed excitedly, only to have Tommy shake his head apologetically. "Aww, no fair…"

"We're going to ride them," Ethan told the girls, who frowned behind their helmets.

"Look, I have to go back to tryouts," Conner stated, stepping away. "Can you guys handle this?"

"Yeah, go ahead, Conner," Tommy nodded. "They can fill you in later."

"Thanks!" Conner grinned before dashing off.

"Good luck!" the three Rangers called after him.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

By the time Conner got back to the field, everybody was packing up and leaving. Taking a deep breath, he found the couch packing supplies and walked over.

"Hey," he greeted, only to receive a snub sigh.

"McKnight!" the coach stated, getting up and pulling out his clipboard. "Got you down as a DNF. Did Not Finish."

"Look I'm sorry; I had something really important to take care of," Conner told him.

"Son, if there's anything more important to you than soccer, then this isn't the place for you."

"There is nothing…more important, that is."

"Thanks for trying out," the coach smiled, patting him on the shoulder before walking off. Conner watched him go, sighing in defeat and running a hand through his hair.

That's when he noticed a soccer ball roll over and hit his foot. Looking up he saw it belonged to a little girl, who excitedly asked him to kick it back as her mother watched from a few feet away.

"Good stop," he smiled when she stopped his soft kick.

"Thanks!" she grinned, grabbing her ball and running off to her mother.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

As Kira and Kaylee worked on the Friday set list at a table in Cyberspace, Ethan played away on his computer. The Blue Ranger had said something about Dr.O and the weird eggs, but Kira wasn't listening. She was playing more attention to a guy that had just walked into the Café.

"Whoa," she smiled. "Who is _that_?"

"I dunno," Ethan shrugged, not paying attention.

"Hello!" Kaylee exclaimed, waving a hand in front of her friend's face. "Yoo-hoo! Kiraaaaa!"

"He's really…wow…isn't he?" she grinned, not at all realizing she was staring.

"Can I get you a glass of water, something, maybe an oxygen mask?" Ethan teased.

"Or a towel for the drool," Kaylee added.

"Shut up!" Kira hissed, turning back to her list of songs. "He's coming over here."

"Hey, I'm looking for Hayley. I'm supposed to start work today," the guy stated.

"She's around here somewhere," Ethan replied. "Hey, haven't I seen you at Reefside?"

"Yeah, I just moved here last week. I'm Trent," he offered his hand, which Ethan shook.

"I'm Ethan."

"Kaylee!" the blonde smiled, shaking his hand in turn, before pointing at Kira. "And that's Kira."

"Hey," Trent said, but got no response as she scribbled away. "You okay?"

"She doesn't speak," Ethan sighed. "We've been trying for years."

"She's dumb. You know, dumb in the 'can't talk' way not the 'I'm stupid and can't find a way to speak' kinda way," Kaylee elaborated. "People often get them confused. A lot actually, so that when people start calling someone dumb they immediately assume—"

"I'm fine, it's nice to meet you," Kira snapped, flashing a smile at Trent before aiming glares at her friends and fellow Rangers.

"Trent, good timing, come with me and I'll get you started," Hayley smiled, walking up before walking away with him.

"Cool," Trent grinned before waving at the three. "I'll see you guys later."

"Isn't he just so wow-OW!" Ethan's teasing was cut short when Kira slammed her foot on his, and before Kaylee could add to the fun, Kira sent her a warning glare, effectively shutting her up. At least on that subject.

"How come _he_ gets a job here?" Kaylee whined. "I've been here a full week longer and wanted it but _I_ don't have one!"

"You wouldn't be able to have that life anyway thanks to _Ranger_ duty," Conner snapped as he sat down in a huff, rolling his small handheld red soccer ball onto the table.

"What's wrong?" Ethan inquired. "How'd it go?"

"How'd it go?" Conner said angrily. "It's over! The coach basically said forget it! And who can blame him I mean, I left in the middle of practice!"

"Well it's not like you didn't have a good excuse," Kaylee pointed out.

"Right," Conner scoffed, getting up and walking off as they hurried to follow. "Well maybe next time I'll bring a note from our teacher! _Sorry, Conner couldn't make it to practice today; he was busy fighting freaky looking dinosaur things in the fore—_"

"Shh!" Kira cut him off, placing her hand over his mouth as they ushered him towards the sofas on the other side of the Café.

"Maybe he's never heard that excuse before," Ethan pointed out.

"Who has?" Kaylee inquired as they flopped onto the couch.

"Whatever," Conner groaned; using what seemed to be marked as Kira's trademark word. "Look, the point is, what was I supposed to say?"

"I had to pee really really bad?" Kaylee suggested, and they all stared at her blankly. "For a really really long time?"

"Man this whole 'saving the world' thing is seriously starting bum me out," he sighed, leaning back onto the cushiony surface.

"It gets better," Kaylee promised.

"How would you know?" Kira inquired and the blonde grinned sheepishly.

"Doesn't it always? You know, in comics?" she offered, looking at Ethan, who shrugged.

"I guess."

"No, I know what I'll do," Conner sat up. "I gotta talk to Doctor Oliver."

"Uh, I think he may be kinda busy," Kira stated, placing a hand on Conner's shoulder. "He's got this whole new proje—"

"Well too bad," Conner snapped. "I was busy today, but that didn't stop him from messing up my life!"

Angrily Conner got to his feet, but Kira stood up after him, following as Ethan and Kaylee took a slow-paced rear. "Hey, Conner, c'mon. I was busy too, for the music thing. But you don't see me complaining."

"But this was important! This was about defining my future as a soccer player!" he retorted. "Maybe even showing my potential to people who could help me make it big!"

"Wow, thanks for taking an un-egotistical moment to notice that's what_I'm_ doing too," she winced, before brushing past him and walking off. He groaned, letting loose a complaint about something _else_ going wrong for him today before storming out of Cyberspace in her wake.

"That went well," Kaylee stated and Ethan frowned at her as they walked out as well. "Hey, it went better than what I pictured."

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

As the doors to the Ranger Base opened, the four teens stood back as a box or two went flying across the room. "Don't come in!" Tommy called from somewhere. "It's not safe!"

"Really?" Kaylee stated sarcastically.

"We kinda noticed," Kira added as Tommy was thrown across the room and dinosaur roars broke the air.

"Whoa!" Tommy yelled as he was flung towards the doorway.

"Is that what was in those eggs?" Ethan inquired.

"Yeah," he nodded, pushing himself to his feet as he wiped slime from his hands. "I'm trying to train them."

"How's it coming?" the Blue Ranger inquired, eyes-wide.

"Can't you see he's doing a marvelous job?" Kaylee smiled.

"Not exactly!" Tommy yelled, ducking as a chair was hurled over his head. "Horribly."

"Look, I can see that you're…busy with…well, whatever," Conner began. "But, I need to talk."

Before Tommy could give an answer he was propelled forward, past the teens and into the tunnel by a red dinosaur tail. The teens moved out of the way of the closing door.

"I guess I can take a break," Tommy shrugged, realizing he was covered in saliva. Ethan offered a hand and he accepted, letting the Blue Ranger pull him up. The latter regretted it as his hand was covered in saliva and sticky. "Alright…so…"

"You've gotta find someone to replace me," Conner told him.

"What are you talking about?" Kaylee inquired.

"You're crazy!" Ethan added.

"Alright, settle down you two," Tommy stated. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is that Conner can't seem to manage Ranger business and personal life like all of us do," Kira seethed. "Apparently being a soccer player is more important than saving lives."

"That's not it!" Conner yelled. "It's just, all my life, everything I've done, it's led up to playing for a pro soccer team because I'm a soccer player before anything else. And I got the greatest chance of my life…and I blew it."

"That's not hard for you to do," she snickered.

"Look, would you back off?" he cried, glaring down at her. "You don't understand this."

"I'm pretty sure I do!" she snapped. "Because in case your hearing was being blocked off by your ego, you might've realized that the only thing I've ever been good at is music, and that Hayley might be giving me my one and only chance to make myself heard because otherwise, no one ever listens! _Ever_! No one ever cares about the punk-rocker loner girl who sits alone at lunch, scribbles songs instead of class notes but manages to do well, and writes down her feelings rather than expressing them! And the Ranger duty is kinda making it hard!"

"I realize his complaints may sound selfish, but I understand," Tommy nodded. "He's right."

"You're agreeing with him?!" Kira was beyond shocked at this point, and Kaylee placed a hand on her friend's arm to keep her anger from skyrocketing.

"Conner, I know how you feel," Tommy went on. "I felt that way before. But I want you to think about this before you do anything."

Sighing as he regarded the other Rangers (one particularly angrier than the rest), Conner shook his head before walking off.

"Well, I thought the red guy was supposed to be the leader," Ethan stated.

"Stupid trend-breaker," Kaylee muttered.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

Conner angrily kicked the red soccer ball, sending it flying through the air and into the net. He shook his head, recounting the earlier events on this field when someone called his name and he turned. He was surprised to see the Reefside Wave coach.

"Coach…what're you doing here?"

"Got a call from one of your teachers, and he tells me that it was his fault you had to leave today," the coach stated.

"Does that mean I have a shot?"

"You've always had a shot. You sure you really want this? You'll need to give up everything."

"Yeah, I am," Conner nodded despite Kira's earlier words disrupting the back of his mind.

"Alright. I'll let you know!" the coach grinned before walking off.

"Hey, bro," someone called and Conner turned to see Ethan and Kaylee walking up.

"Things okay with the coach?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah I think so," he nodded, before sighing. "Listen, I'm sorry you guys. You gotta understand…"

"Yeah, we do," Kaylee nodded.

"She probably does more than me but…if it's what you really want," Ethan shrugged.

Conner nodded his thanks, before frowning slightly. "Where's Kira?"

"Uh," Ethan glanced at Kaylee and shrugged.

"Music-ing, I think," Kaylee explained. When both boys stared at her questioningly she rolled her eyes. "You know, doing what she does best when she's frustrated. She writes songs!"

"Ohh," the boys nodded.

Suddenly their bracelets beeped and Tommy's voice came in over the link. "Guys, we have a situation. There's a monster attacking the city; people are in danger."

"Okay," Conner nodded, sighing. "But this is the last time."

Looking around to make sure no one was there, he stepped forward. "Ready?"

"Ready!" they nodded.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

"Whoa, that thing's nasty!" Ethan yelled as they arrived on scene.

"Let's do it!" Conner exclaimed and they rushed forward, forming a triangle to attack the creature. As they blocked an attack from its leafy forearms the boys were thrown back, leaving Kaylee to do battle on her own.

"Alright you gigantic weed, time to cut you down to size!" she grinned, bringing out her Thundermax Saber and slicing away. It managed to block her shot with thick green leaf-like appendages, growling as it wrapped vines around her and lifted her into the air. "Okay…for starters…getting crushed to death is not how I imagined my death! And secondly…green's my color you mutated dandelion!"

It growled again and threw her away. She cried out as her back hit the pavement, and the monster's steps towards her were halted when the boys ran towards it, Thundermax Lasers firing wildly.

"Thanks guys!" Kaylee grinned as they helped her up.

"Give up!" Ethan yelled, pointing his laser at the creature.

"Catch me if you can!" it taunted, flying off.

"Man, we could totally use our fourth half right about now!" Kaylee sighed, and the boys sighed in agreement.

"Normally I'd elaborate on how there are only two halves, but at this point, I agree," Ethan nodded. "We'll never catch him."

_You can_, Tommy stated, his voice coming in over their morphers. _With the Raptor Riders_.

As the three turned, they spotted three large Raptor-like dinosaurs headed their way. Clearly more creations of Tommy's, they each bore a different color – Red, Blue and Green. As they ran past the teens, they dipped their heads down and passed them between the Rangers' legs, swiping them onto their backs.

"They're great!" Kaylee grinned. "But what about Kira?"

_Don't worry, she was closer to the monster's current location so she's already there_, Tommy replied through the com-link.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

As people screamed and ran away from a series of Tyrannodrones, the little girl who'd been playing soccer at the field earlier was cornered by some picnic tables, cringing as a lizard found her hiding place.

Noticing this, Kira dismounted her yellow Raptor Rider swiftly, and ran towards her, only to be tripped and knocked to the ground by the flowery monster as he arrived. She groaned, pushing to herself feet only to be wrapped up in tight vines that constricted her body, making her cry out.

"Heh, not so light on your feet are you Yellow Ranger?" it teased. "You'll be swift pickings compared to that group of idiots in the parking lot."

"Ptera…Grips…," Kira wheezed, summoning her blades to her hands, only to have them drop as he pulled the vines tighter and her hands flattened. "Stupid…flower…"

"You guys get the drones; I'll take care of the flower…bird…thing!" Conner told Ethan and Kaylee, who nodded and rode off after the swarm of Tyrannodrones. He turned towards the Yellow Ranger and the monster, determined.

"Hey!" he yelled as his Raptor Rider went flying overhead; kicking the monster in the head and making it wobble slightly. "Leave her alone!"

"Ruin all my fun, will ya?" the creature cackled, shooting vines towards him as he and his Raptor Rider skidded to a stop. Angrily he whipped out his Thundermax Saber, slicing through them. He jumped off his Raptor, running towards the creature and slashing any and all plant appendages that came his way.

He reached the thing and sliced through the vines holding out Kira, letting her drop as sparks flew off the creature, making it angry. It took a step back only to be blasted from behind by a Whip and a Shield point as Ethan and Kaylee arrived, having dispatched the Tyrannodrones.

Conner knelt down to untie Kira, who was mumbling something. "Huh?"

"I was doing just fine, thank you," she told him.

"Uh-huh, because 'just fine' is being strangled to death by a crazy plant-thing," Conner smirked.

"Whatever, just go help the girl," she rasped, rubbing her throat even though her Ranger suit covered it. Conner nodded and ran off, summoning his Tyranno Staff in order to swipe the lizard drones out of the way as he ran to the little girl under the picnic table.

"You okay?" he inquired and she smiled widely, nodding. Her mother found them seconds later, hugging her girl tightly and thanking the Red Ranger. "She's safe now."

Turning around to return to Kira, he noticed she was gone, as was the monster and the other two Rangers, so he mounted his Raptor Rider and ran off in search. He found them not far away, dueling the creature.

Summoning his Tyranno Staff again, he slashed it across the back as the other three attacked with their special weapons, causing it to go flying and land hard on the pavement. The four Rangers rode side-by-side, and the Rangers all jumped onto Conner's, putting their weapons together as the girls squeezed side-by-side behind Conner, and Ethan behind them.

"Z-Rex Blaster!" Conner yelled. "Fire!"

A large beam shot out from their combined weapon and tore through the monster. They watched as it cried out before falling to pieces. Then, tense, they watched it and the skies, waiting to see the large black cloud roll in and shower down the purple rain that would make it grow to Megazord size.

And waited.

And waited.

"Huh," Kaylee frowned. "Where's the fertilizer cloud of doom?"

"Dunno," Ethan shrugged. "Maybe it's not coming."

"You mean, no Zord fight? No growing big and leaving me alone? No threat of being crushed to death by giant feet!" Kaylee grinned, clapping. "YES! I brought my toys this time but who cares! I won't have to use 'em! No Zord fight!"

"And no last big bang for the Red Ranger's finale to his one week sentence," Kira added. "If there's nothing else Ranger-related, I gotta go make some final touches for tomorrow's set at Cyberspace. If you guys aren't too busy, maybe you can make it."

Without waiting for an answer she was off, onto her yellow Raptor Rider and away.

"Red Ranger!" the little girl from earlier was back, and she ran over to hug Conner as he knelt down, returning the gesture. "Thank you!"

"Anytime," he smiled a bit. "Anytime…"

Conner stood up and waved as the girl and her mother walked off, before turning to his friends and sighing as they powered down. "She's mad, isn't she?"

"Who, Kira?" Kaylee inquired. "Naw…more like, beyond pissed off."

"That's much better," Ethan rolled his eyes. "Remind me to never let you give me pep talks."

"Why not? I'm very encouraging!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"Yeah sure, just like Kira's totally happy-go-lucky."

"Hey, lay off, she's not in a good mood. Her and soccer-boy have been arguing _all day_."

"Oh really? Well maybe if _she'd_ laid off and stopped biting his head off there wouldn't be a problem."

"It's not her fault that he kept complaining about juggling life and Ranger business when everyone else is doing the same thing! He should apologize and then maybe she'll drop the cold shoulder act!"

"She should be the one apologizing! He's having a harder time dealing than us, especially since he's gotta deal with being team leader! She's being too hard on him!"

"Guys!" Conner yelled, breaking their argument. "I appreciate that you guys are defending our points, but it's an argument between me and Kira that is now definitely gonna end, you don't have to trouble yourselves."

"Okay!" they grinned, back to their cheerful selves.

"You two are weird…," Conner commented.

"We know," Kaylee nodded.

xX-Wave-Goodbye-Xx

"Good luck, Kira," Trent smiled as he brought her lemonade to the stage, where she and the band were setting up. Cyberspace was bustling with a crowd, all chatting away.

"Thanks," she returned the smile, grabbing her drink.

As he brought the other two lemonades to a booth, Kaylee thanked him and took them, handing the other to the brown-haired guy sitting beside her.

"What about me?" a voice inquired and she looked up to see Conner arriving.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you here," she grinned.

"Why not? We're partners in crime-fighting, right?"

"Are we?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "We are."

"Awesome! Ethan's gonna be psyched when he hears!" she exclaimed.

"Speaking of blue-boy, where is he?" Conner inquired. "And uh…"

He'd just noticed the guy she was sitting with, and remembered her saying something earlier about her boyfriend coming to town. "Am I intruding?"

"No way, dude, that's cool!" the guy grinned. "I'm Dustin Brooks."

"Conner McKnight," the Red Ranger nodded, shaking Dustin's outstretched hand.

"And to answer your question, Ethan's around here somewhere, being all computer-ish." Kaylee told him. "But look for him later, because Kira's about to start! Also, if you don't mind…"

"Oh…right…," Conner nodded, and he grinned as he slipped into the booth behind them, allowing them their bubble and time alone.

Or, y'know, as alone as you could get in a Cyber Café filled with people waiting for a show.

"Hi there," Kira smiled as she stepped up to the microphone. "Thanks for being here today to cheer me on, since this is the first time I play in front of a crowd. Um, this first song was just something that I wrote to help me get thoughts cleared lately, and I'd like to thank the friends that were along for the ride. So…without other delays, I hope you like it."

"_And it goes like this…yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah._

_I can't tell you why, but I can't stop thinking about you baby, oh yeah._

_Don't you think it's time; I walked around every word you're saying, oh yeah._

_  
Trying hard to figure out, tell me what it's all about.  
Cuz I don't want to freak you out.  
Freak you out, Freak you out._

_I want to know, know where you're at.  
I'm at the front, but baby you're still at the back.  
Oh, can you tell me where it's at?  
I gotta know, know where you're at.  
I'm all alone waiting for you to ask.  
Oh, can you tell me where, tell me where it's at?_

_It seems like when we talk._

_You haven't heard a single word I'm saying, oh yeah.  
I'm over here so listen up, sit back tune in, pick it up.  
Yeah, I'm just waiting here._

_Trying hard to figure out, tell me what it's all about.  
Cuz I don't want to freak you out.  
Freak you out, Freak you out._

_I want to know, know where you're at.  
I'm at the front, but baby you're still at the back.  
Oh, can you tell me where it's at?  
I gotta know, know where you're at.  
I'm all alone waiting for you to ask.  
Oh, can you tell me where, tell me where it's at?_

_Freak you out, Freak you out.  
Freak you out, Freak you out.  
Freak you out…"_

"Thank you," she smiled as the crowd went off in cheers and applause. She glanced sideways and offstage at Hayley, who signaled five minutes and nodded, putting down her guitar.

Walking towards a familiar blonde with green attire, she found Kaylee sitting in a booth with a guy with curly brown hair who was no doubt Dustin, the boyfriend she'd heard about.

"You were awesome!" Kaylee grinned.

"Totally wicked!" Dustin agreed.

"Thanks," Kira smiled. "But it woulda been way cooler with you, Kay."

"I know. Just you wait till next Friday," she promised.

"Oh, Kaylee performing!" Dustin grinned. "That I gotta see! I am _so_ here!"

"Actually, that's kinda why she's not playing with me today," the Yellow Ranger explained. "She would be, but asked if she could wait till next time because she wanted to spent time with her rarely-seen boyfriend."

"Oh…I see…," Dustin nodded. "Well then…um…I won't come."

"Duh, because you gotta stay and…teach, anyway!" Kaylee grinned, recovering quickly from whatever she'd been about to slip on.

"But then I won't see you perform!" he pouted, making the girls laugh. "You gotta go today!"

"But—"

"Please?" he inquired, making puppy dog eyes.

"So not fair," she mumbled. "But alright. Just…a few minutes?"

"Sure," Kira nodded. "I've got five anyway."

"Goody!" Kaylee grinned, shoving Kira to the booth behind theirs. "In that case! Shoo and make with the talking!"

Flopping on the booth bench, Kira looked up and saw Conner sat there, smiling apologetically.

"Hey."

"Hi," she nodded. "Didn't expect you here. Thought you'd be out enjoying your glorious freedom in kicking a soccer ball around."

"Seems everyone thought that way," Conner sighed. "I had to make a choice and…I went over the things you said…and the feeling I got when I helped you and saved the little girl and…what we do is way more important than soccer, y'know?"

"I'm sorry," Kira stated, shaking her head in embarrassment. "I was having a rough time trying to get my music stuff ready so fast and…I kinda just went off and cracked. I snapped at you bad and it wasn't right for me to take it out on you."

"Maybe, but it wasn't right for me to think that my problem was any worse than yours," Conner told her. "I mean…I can kick a ball around but you…you write music and lyrics and play guitar and sing. And you had to plan all that in a day, whereas I was just doing something I'd spent forever doing."

"So, we're friends again?" she smiled, holding out her hand.

"Definitely," he grinned, shaking it.

"Now, I've got a set to play," she told him, getting up as Kaylee did the same a booth over.

"Hey, Kira?" he called, making her turn back. "You know I'd have chosen you guys, no matter what, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, smiling in a way he hadn't seen her smile before. It was sweeter than usual, and from ear to ear it stretched, lines of laughter etched slightly beneath it. He couldn't help but smile back before she turned and the girls found their way onstage to perform.

As the crowd cheered and the music began, no one knew of the unsuspecting Tommy Oliver having just been grabbed by a horde of Tyrannodrones and teleported away outside the Café.


	4. Legacy of Power

_Now, for those of you who were patiently awaiting the video chapter. Behold! Some questions about the ninja storm rangers and kaylee will be answered, but **please**, if you're interested in that backstory **go read the prequel** by Lily Hanson. It's called "Ninja Storm: Redone". A lot of references and backstory are from it. Thanks.  
_

* * *

**Legacy of Power.**

"This is bad," Kira stated as the four teens were gathered in Doctor Oliver's basement Ranger Lab.

"Agreed," Kaylee nodded.

"Way bad!" Ethan added. "It's like crashing after getting to level nine of SNSW."

"Huh?" Conner frowned, not getting the abbreviation.

"Super Ninja Space Wars," Kaylee explained, getting curious looks from the three.

"How do _you_ know that?" Ethan inquired.

"Dustin," she stated. "Video game freakazoid!"

"Okay look, don't you think we're getting a little too freaked out about this?" Conner asked.

"Dr. O doesn't show up for the gig yesterday," Kaylee began.

"And missed a whole day of school without a word today," Kira finished. "I'd say we've achieved the right level of freaking out."

"I guess there's only one way to find out what the good doctor's been up to," Ethan shrugged.

"Stalk him?" Kaylee inquired.

"Wouldn't that mean we gotta find him first?" Conner pointed out.

"Oh…right…"

"Nope," Ethan grinned, walking over to Tommy's computer and typing away. A moment later a few beeps were heard and Tommy's face appeared onscreen. "I'm in."

"Yeah, but where?" Kira inquired.

"_I'm Tommy Oliver; if you're not me, then something is seriously wrong_." The Tommy onscreen stated, and the teens' eyes widened.

"He's talking to us!" Kaylee squeaked. "Does that mean we can talk to him? Hi Dr. O! Where are you! We'd like to know why you didn't come watch our show!"

"Kayl…," Kira sighed, smacking her forehead with her hand. Any other comments were silenced as the onscreen Tommy began talking.

"_This video diary is a confidential record. Only to be viewed in case of an emergency. What you're about to see is a history of my life."_

"Boring Dinosaur bones stories," Conner rolled his eyes.

"Yawn!" Kaylee stated.

"_My history - as a Power Ranger_."

"Okay," Conner's eyes widened with the others. "Un-yawn."

"_My story begins in Angel Grove, where five teens with attitude were recruited to fight the evil sorceress; Rita Repulsa. They harnessed the power of Dinosaurs to become Earth's first Power Rangers..."_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

_**Into an odd-looking place with beams of light and a circle of super computer, five teens were teleported in through separate colored beams. There was Black, Pink, Red, Yellow and Blue. Looking around the five teens frowned, and a deep voice spoke to them from somewhere.**_

_**It told them that the time of their destiny was upon them and gave them the power to transform into Power Rangers. As the beams of light covered them, one-by-one, Trini, Zack, Jason, Kimberly and Billy transformed into their uniforms, all different colors.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"Where's Dr. O?" Conner frowned.

"They come in pink?" Kira's nose scrunched up in disgust.

"They had Dinosaurs too!" Ethan grinned.

"Where's the green!" Kaylee whined.

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

_**The teens left the base, teleported by the intergalactic being Zordon, they found themselves downtown, and were soon pulled into a fight against silver-colored creatures. Watching from afar, Rita Repulsa was evidently furious, and decided that things would not go any further if she could not harness power like the Rangers.**_

_**-x-x-**_

_**Later, at school, Kimberly stood by her locker and noticed a green-clad individual walk by whom she did not recognize. "Hey!" she called, making him turn around. "Um…I'm Kimberly. You're new around here aren't you?"**_

"_**Yeah," he nodded, walking over to shake hands. "I'm Tommy."**_

_**-x-x-**_

"_**What's going on?" Tommy yelled as winds picked up in the alley, throwing trash bags and all sorts of things around him.**_

"_**Tommy!" a woman shrieked and he looked up onto a building rooftop to see Rita Repulsa herself, grinning down at him. "I have chosen you!"**_

_**As she cackled maniacally, she pointed her staff towards him, embedding volts of power into his body that he tried to resist, but couldn't. He was engulfed by the beam and disappeared.**_

"_**This boy is truly the one who will become my evil Ranger!" Rita yelled, teleporting to her moon base and looking down upon a small arena. "Arise my Evil Green Ranger!"**_

_**In a flash of green light, Tommy reappeared, his eyes glowed briefly for a moment before he looked up at her. "How can I serve my empress?"**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"NO!" Kaylee yelled, backing away from the screen Ethan had paused at, which was Tommy, wearing a green Power Ranger suit, as he attacked his friends. "I don't wanna see green no more! Get it AWAY!"

"_She commanded me to destroy the Power Rangers,"_ Tommy's voice came in over the speakers again as they watched him fight against the other Rangers. "_And I almost succeeded."_

"We don't have a crazy evil empress lying around ready to pry on green-loving teens, do we?" Kaylee squeaked, clinging to Kira's arm.

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head, smiling. "Now shh, there's more!"

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_**I know you're the Green Ranger," Kimberly stated, giving Tommy a worried and pained expression when he snapped forward in his workout machine, glaring.**_

"_**Well then Pink Ranger," Tommy seethed, "you should also know that you, and the other Power Rangers will soon be destroyed."**_

_**-x-x-**_

_**The Rangers were once again at war on the battlefield, and Jason put all his power into throwing his power-charged sword at Tommy. The Green Ranger cried out and collapsed from the blast, powering down as the others did.**_

"_**Rita's spell is broken!" Zack cried triumphantly as Tommy got to his feet, shaken but clearly free of the angry and hateful aura he'd possessed since becoming Rita's Ranger. Jason rushed over, helping him up.**_

"_**You okay Tommy?" he asked.**_

"_**What's happened to me?"**_

"_**You're no longer under Rita's power," Jason told him. "Fight by our side and we can defeat Rita."**_

"_**After everything that's happened?" Tommy inquired as the others ran over.**_

"_**Tommy, we need you," the Red Ranger explained. "It's where you belong. Will you join us?"**_

_**With a glance at Kimberly, who nodded happily, a smile formed on Tommy's lips as he shook hands with Jason.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_And that's when I joined the team,"_ Tommy's voice was back to narrate. "_But not for long. I soon discovered the Green Ranger powers were only temporary."_

The four teens watched with interest as Tommy disappeared in a shower of green energy, and Zordon explained to the other five Rangers that the Green Ranger was gone and never coming back. He then told him he'd created a new and more powerful Ranger to help defeat their bad guy, and in a bright light a White Ranger appeared.

He unclipped his helmet and the Rangers both onscreen and off gasped as he revealed himself to be Doctor Tommy Oliver. "_Guess who's back_?" the White-clad Tommy grinned.

Then, the video paused, and Kaylee whacked Ethan on the shoulder as the other two grumbled.

"What did you do that for?" Kira asked.

"Dude, I'm so bugging I can't even deal," Ethan stated.

"I know!" Kaylee grinned. "He's not Green anymore!"

"Our teacher, is like the oldest living Power Ranger," Conner was amazed, and the others nodded their agreement.

"Not the oldest," someone said. "Just the best."

They all turned to the entrance of the base to see Hayley standing there, looking kind of on the not-so-pleased side.

"Hayley?" Kaylee frowned. "What the heck?"

"How did you get in here?" Conner inquired as the teens walked over to her.

"More to the point," Kira stated. "What do you know about any of this?"

"I know that Tommy is in trouble," Hayley told them. "And you four are the only ones who can help him."

"And…you know this because…?" Kaylee trailed off, frowning.

"I've been helping Tommy prepare the Ranger energy since Grad School," Hayley explained. "I mean, who do you think built the morphers?"

"Ethan," Conner stated, getting weird looks. "What! It'd be like him!"

"Too true," the Blue Ranger nodded.

"I thought it was an Elf," Kaylee grinned. "Y'know, like the shoe elf in that one story. I can't remember what it was called. But oh well, instead of a shoe elf it was the Hayley elf!"

If Conner had gotten weird looks, Kaylee was getting alien ones, and they only made her sheepish grin grow.

"Well you've got that right Kaylee," the redhead grinned. "I did. Because, Tommy may be good with fossils and Dinosaurs, but a rocket scientist – he ain't."

"And lemme guess, you are?" Conner inquired.

"Among other things," Hayley nodded.

"Okay, so you know who we are," Kira began. "You know what we are. D'you where Doctor Oliver is?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Hayley replied, walking over to the computer and getting a disc from her bag with the Dinosaur-print emblem the base and their uniforms sported. Putting it into the computer, another screen flickered to life. "This is a surveillance tape from yesterday, during your music gig."

They watched as Tommy fought Tyrannodrones before being teleported away.

"Why didn't he just morph?" Conner frowned. "I mean, he's a Power Ranger."

"Not anymore," Hayley shook her head. "Or didn't you get that far?"

Typing away she brought up the video diary again, which picked up where it had left off and Tommy's voice played through the speakers.

"_A new villain, Lord Zedd, was destroying Earth. And with three Rangers leaving, a new power source had to be found."_

They watched as the Rangers found a glowing sword, and then as Zordon teleported in three teens, sporting themes of yellow, black or red. Tommy, still morphed as the White Ranger but without a helmet on, turned and smiled at the sight of the newcomers.

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_**Rocky! Adam! Aisha!" Tommy grinned.**_

"_**Isn't this incredible?" Aisha smiled, and boys behind her nodded.**_

_**After this, Trini, Zack and Jason stepped forward, placing their hands upon the sword that transferred their powers to the new Rangers as they powered down and the new Rangers morphed into their new suits.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

They watched the screen as Rita and Lord Zedd created a huge version of their monster, and the new Ranger team powered up to form their Megazord. After a tough battle, they lost, and the Rangers powered down and out in time to watch as their Zords were destroyed and their powers were lost to them.

"_A Ranger never gives up. Zordon sent us on a quest to find Ninjor, a warrior from the past who showed us the secrets of the ancient Ninja."_

Kaylee nearly burst into laughter, but held it back with all her might to stop from bringing too many questions to her. Ninjas. It was such a small world, wasn't it? Well, in her opinion, the Ninjas back in Blue Bay had _way_ better outfits than the ones onscreen at the moment.

"_We gained new weapons, new Zords, and, new enemies._"

In amazed silence, the four Rangers watched the history unfold from their time as the Ninjas, to Zeo Rangers, and to Turbo Rangers. They then watched as Tommy gave up his position as did his friends, to a full new team of Turbo Rangers.

At this, Hayley paused. "After that, Tommy went to college where he met yours truly," she explained. "But when he found the Dino Gems, he knew he could never escape the power for long."

"Seeing as I don't want this to be the end of the line can we get back on subject of finding Dr.O?" Ethan inquired.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Kira stated, turning attention to her. "When Mesogog's lizard freaks kidnapped me, Kaylee teleported in to get me. Couldn't she just do that again?"

"I'm afraid not," Hayley shook her head. "From what Tommy's told me, you four aren't totally in control yet, and that you need to know or at least see where you're going to teleport."

"Yeah…finding you was kind of a fluke, actually," Kaylee told Kira, grinning sheepishly. She then turned to Hayley. "But that's an idea. Teleporting. How about Invisiportals? Dr. O's been telling me about them recently, and talking about how one day I can manipulate their power or whatever. Couldn't we use one of them? They're all around town."

"I've been working on that very thing," Hayley nodded. "Unfortunately, I need just a little more time."

"Okay so, what are we supposed to do while you're doing that?" Conner asked.

"Here," Hayley stated, bringing up a screen for her work and a large one for the video diary.

"Non yawning history!" Kaylee clapped.

"Yep, now watch more of your heritage," Hayley stated. "You might learn something."

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

After watching the Space Rangers, Galaxy Rangers and Lightspeed Rescue Rangers, Hayley paused again. "Hey!" Ethan cried. "I was watching that!"

"Sorry, but I've got something," she explained.

"You found him?" Conner asked.

"Almost. I've got a lock on the backdoor to Mesogog's firewall. In theory, it should lead us straight to an invisiportal."

"Then what?" Kira frowned.

"We go through?" Kaylee added.

"I'll let you know when I get there," Hayley told them. A few minutes later, after finishing the Lightspeed Ranger section of the video, her research went offline, an error forming on the screen. "Either I'm losing my touch; or Mesogog is really smart for a mutant freak."

"I'm hoping that…actually…I have no idea which is better," Kaylee shrugged, at a loss.

Suddenly the screen came back into life with more video diary.

"What's it doing?" Ethan asked.

"It's retrieving more Ranger history," Hayley stated.

"More? How many were there before us?" Kira exclaimed.

"A lot," Hayley confirmed, and though none of them noticed, Kaylee gulped nervously.

"Nice spaceship," Ethan chuckled, as a huge round ship crash-landed into a rock-face. When the brunette onscreen told a blonde-haired guy that she and her friends were from the year 3000, Ethan pressed the pause button. "Whoa, hold up. There are Power Rangers from the future?"

"They're down with time travel and everything, right?" Kira inquired.

"Yeah, couldn't they take us back to the moment Tommy was kidnapped?" Kaylee nodded.

"Why, so we could watch it happen all over again?" Conner scoffed, receiving pointed stares from the other three Rangers. "Oh! So we can stop them…got it…"

"Wow, even slower than Dustin on that one," Kaylee giggled. "Wait…no…maybe not…"

"It's worth a shot," Kira stated. "Let's see if this thing tells us how to reach them."

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_**We're trying to recapture a gang of mutants that escaped through time and take them back with us," Jen sighed as she turned to face Wes. "We think you may be the only one who can unlock these morphers so we can defeat them."**_

_**Although unsure about this, he felt a strong sense of trust towards these four strangers, and nodded as he stood in a circle of Jen, Katie, Trip and Lucas. Smiling, Jen held out a morpher towards him. "It's yours."**_

"_**Whoo!" he cried happily, taking the morpher and slapping it onto his wrist.**_

"_**DNA confirmed," the morpher's automated voice told them.**_

_**Wes nodded, placing his wrist into a circle with the other four, as his reacted and gave pink, green, blue and yellow beams of light from the source of his own red one. They then stood in a line, with Jen at the center, directing them.**_

"_**Ready?" she inquired, and they all nodded. **_

"_**TIME FOR TIME FORCE!" they yelled together, morphing into their Ranger suits.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_Rangers from the future chased the mutant criminals through time,"_ Tommy's voice narrated and they watched as Eric, joined their ranks and became the Quantum Ranger. "_It took awhile for Eric to learn that the greatest virtue of being a Ranger is not the Power, but the reward of helping mankind."_

"You would've needed that when you had leadership issues," Kira smiled, nudging Conner with her elbow. He looked down at her and smirked, messing up her hair with his hand. "Hey!"

"That was sick," Ethan grinned. 

"But not helpful," Kaylee pointed out.

"Okay so, what about all the other Rangers?" Conner stated. "I mean there must be, hundreds of them all over the place."

"He clearly counted more watching that than I did," Kira whispered to Kaylee, laughing.

"Couldn't we team-up and scout all over the city?" the Red Ranger went on.

"Its not that easy, most Rangers don't have their powers anymore. And some, didn't even want them to begin with," Hayley sighed, glancing at Kaylee, who was now fidgeting madly as the Wild Force Ranger section began.

"_Cole joined, and the Wild Force Rangers used spirits of the ancient animals to fight the evil Org, creatures determined to conquer Earth, through pollution and destruction. The final member to join the team was Merrick, the Lunar Wolf."_

"You know, that's one syllable away from Loner," Kaylee giggled, but it sounded slightly forced. "And anyway, could we work on finding Doctor Oliver here, because this Ranger history is getting old…well you know…history uh…you get it!"

"Yeah, Kaylee's right," Ethan nodded, pausing the video just as the Wild Force Rangers morphed together, their Zords coming in for support. "We gotta get Dr.O back so we can jump him for being a Ranger and not telling us!"

"Yeah, not just _once_ but, four times!" Conner added.

"Guys, c'mon, it's not that big of a deal," Kira sighed. "So he's been a Ranger once…or a few times…but you don't need to blow this whole thing outta proportion."

"Of course we do!" Ethan nodded.

"Okay well…," Hayley noticed the discomfort on Kaylee's face as the guys continued to chatter about Tommy being a Ranger before, and made a decision. "I've found a possible Invisiportal, but I need someone you boys to check it out for me."

"What?" Conner frowned. "We wanna watch the video! I mean, Ninja Storm is coming up soon and my twin brother goes to this super secret Ninja Academy, where everyone knows a few of the students there were chosen to be Power Rangers."

"Your brother was a Power Ranger?" Ethan asked in awe.

"Naw, he couldn't even finish Ninja School, he's like a total airhead," Conner chuckled. "We are _so_ different."

"Uh-huh," Kira smirked, making him drop his smile. He shook his head, returning to the subject of the Ninja Storm Rangers. 

"Anyway, I've always wanted to see what it woulda been like," he explained. "So why can't the girls so instead?"

"Because you two are the most excited about all this, so going out to do this will do you some good," Hayley smiled. "And when you get back, or we find something else, Kira and Kaylee will tell you all about the stuff you missed."

"Fine," Conner pouted, nodding as he and Ethan started towards the door. "But you guys better remember all the details!"

"Will do!" Kira grinned as they left. "Finally, some peace and quiet for the rest of the show, eh Kaylee?"

"Uh…yeah…," she laughed, and again, Kira frowned at the nervousness hidden behind it.

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

"_**These, are your Power Ranger Wind Morphers," Cam Watanabe stated as he opened a box to reveal three morphers, each with different power discs fitted into them. One was red and in the shape of wings, another was blue and the shape of a fin, and the third was yellow in the shape of a Lion's mane.**_

"_**Yeah right," a girl scoffed, while a guy gasped.**_

"_**YES! See I knew it dude! I was right! Power Rangers **__**are**__** real!" an excited voice laughed as someone's hand reached forward to grasp the yellow morpher. As two other hands took the red and blue morphers, a guinea pig spoke.**_

"_**From this point you will be known as the Wind Power Rangers," he told them, and as the camera panned upwards, it settled on the faces of a short girl with blonde hair, a tall guy with black hair and a guy with curly brown hair, who was still grinning excitedly.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

Kira stopped the video immediately, turning her gaze to Kaylee, who was currently sporting the most sheepish grin she had ever managed. "Your boyfriend used to be a Power Ranger!" Kira exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Um, the occasion never arose?" Kaylee shrugged. "I mean, what did you want me to do? Randomly come out and say, 'oh by the way, Kira, my boyfriend Dustin is your predecessor as the Yellow Ranger'."

"Yeah!" Kira nodded.

"Okay," the blonde shrugged. "By the way, Kira, my boyfriend Dustin is your predecessor as the Yellow Ranger. Oh and uh…that's my sister, Tori."

Kira followed the girl's pointing finger to the blonde onscreen whose Ninja uniform sported a blue lining. "_That's_ Tori?" the Yellow Ranger inquired, never actually having met Tori as of yet.

"Yep," Kaylee grinned.

Kira shook her head, smiling at her friend's antics before looking over at her. "Anything else you'd like to share?"

"Not really…but I'm figuring that you're gonna find out soon anyway," Kaylee sighed, pressing the play button for the video.

"_Three unlikely Ninja students commanded the power of Earth, Air and Water. But it was the power of Thunder that gave them their biggest challenge…"_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

_**As Dustin, Tori and Shane fought creatures as the Wind Ninja Rangers, they were suddenly attacked by two other Rangers, one Navy Blue and one Crimson, who rode past on motorcycles of their own color, blasting at them wildly with electricity.**_

"_**Let's show these posers how it's done," the Crimson Ranger grinned.**_

_**-x-x-**_

_**A door in Ninja Ops opened as the Navy and Crimson Rangers walked in, holding a defenseless Cam before them. Dustin, Shane and Tori arrived, skidding to a stop and taking up a fighting stance.**_

_**Their faces dropped as the Evil Rangers powered down, revealing a short guy with black hair and a tall guy with dirty blonde hair.**_

"_**Blake?" Tori frowned, her stance falling completely.**_

"_**Leave him," the Crimson Ranger growled, tossing Cam forward to the other Rangers. "We have what we want."**_

_**As he and his brother stepped apart, the other three gasped as a petite blonde was pulled forward, looking ragged and tired of being pulled around. The green streak in her hair stood out less than usual in her saddened and fearful state. Without a word they ninja streaked out of the base, taking her with them. **_

"_**KAY!" Tori yelled.**_

xX-Legacy-of-Power-Xx

Again Kira paused the video but this time, her finger was jammed onto the button so hard Hayley feared she might break it. Her gaze turned to Kaylee but rather than being in just shock, it was also with slight anger. "Care to explain?"

"Um…I have a clone?" Kaylee offered. "Who got kidnapped by the Bradley Brothers when they were evil and forced into trying to bring their parents back only to be freed by them and given the power to be the sixth Ranger?"

"Ranger!" Kira exclaimed. "So you _were_ a Ranger!"

"You…you sound like you knew this…," Kaylee hesitated.

"Well, with some of the things you say in battle, or about the Zords and bad guys, it sometimes sounds like you know what you're talking about," Kira explained. "But…even if in the back of my mind, the suspicion rose when Dr.O, who sometimes does the same, turned out to be a Ranger a little while ago at the beginning of this video, I never thought you'd be one too!"

"Kira, please, you can't tell the guys!" Kaylee's arms were around her waist in a moment as the girl was on her knees, clinging to her fellow Ranger and friend pleadingly. "Please! Pretty please with one of those weird cherry things on top!"

"Okay," she nodded and Kaylee, who was immersed in her next series of requests, looked up.

"Okay?" she frowned. "That's it? Just…okay? No deals, no bargains, no 'this is way too cool to not blow out of proportion'?"

"No…why would there be?" Kira chuckled, pulling Kaylee to her feet. "Kayl, you're my friend. And friends are all entitled to their secrets once in awhile, even ones as big as this. I'm not just gonna rush off and tell the guys as soon as possible."

"But they were gonna…and Dr.O…they said that…"

"I'm_not_ the guys," Kira stated flatly, annoyed by the very thought. As Kaylee continued to babble on to no end, the Yellow Ranger smiled, answering all deformed and half-phrased questions the Green Ranger had. "I'll keep the secret well-guarded and won't force you to tell the guys until you feel it's time."

"Thank you!" Kaylee grinned, launching herself at Kira with a huge hug. "You're awesome!"

"You know it," Kira chuckled. "Now…before I keep going to see if there's anything else in the video…care to answer me one question?"

"I was afraid you guys would freak out like you did finding out Tommy was a Ranger," Kaylee stated. "I was afraid you'd treat me differently. I just wanted to live a normal life after we defeated Lothor. It's the only thing I've ever kept from you guys!"

"First of all, that was _way_ more than one question," Kira grinned. "And secondly, none of those answer my question."

"They don't?" Kaylee inquired.

"Nope," she shook her head. "But uh…do Dustin and Tori…know about you being a Ranger again? Or about me, Conner and Ethan? Or Dr.O?"

"They know," Kaylee nodded. "But, they swore to keep it a secret. And as for the other Ninja Rangers, they have no idea. They just know I've moved to Reefside with Tori and that I'm attending Reefside High."

"Now!" Kaylee grinned, back to her usual happiness as she reached out towards the play button. "Time to get back to watching, cuz it's better to see than hear about past triumphs. And…I wanna see what this thing has about my old friends!"

The two girls watched as Tommy narrated about Kaylee becoming the sixth Ranger, the Bradley's turning good, Cam going back into the past and bringing back the Samurai power to become the Green Samurai Ranger.

"There were _two_ of one color?" Kira frowned. "Isn't that like, not supposed to happen?"

"I know, we were cool like that," Kaylee grinned. "We broke rules!"

They watched again as the video ended with Lothor being sealed in the Abyss of evil, and the Rangers getting jobs as Sensei's of their elements, touring with Factory Blue or being Headmaster of the Wind Ninja Academy.

"How come you didn't stay to teach?" Kira inquired.

"Because I was younger, and still needed to finish High School," Kaylee told her. "That's why I visited here so many times, because I was planning on it."

"When you came, was I showing regular hyper-happy Kaylee Hanson around school…or secret Green Wind Ranger Kaylee Hanson?"

"Um…the uh…the second one," the blonde replied, making Kira's grin grow.

"The guys would be _so_ jealous!" she laughed. "Poor suckers don't even get to wallow in self-pity. They just get to remain clueless!"

"So, Kaylee," the redhead computer genius began, looking up from her research. "Do you think Cam would be able to track Tommy down? I mean, he's even better at this stuff than me."

"I guess, he was always the brains of the operation," Kaylee shrugged, before realizing something. "Wait…after the way the guys reacted…you saw me being nervous and…sent them—did you know too?"

"Yeah, I did," Hayley nodded. "I helped Tommy with the technical stuff, and most of this video was my creation actually, just with Tommy narrating. But don't worry, it's not like _I'm_ gonna say anything to the guys. They're just…too hyped up about it."

"Imagine Conner if he found out you went to the school his brother did," Kira laughed.

"Imagine Conner if he found out I _know_ his brother!" Kaylee giggled, making Kira's eyes widen. "Yep, when we graduated, more students were coming in. Eric was amongst them, and god did he remind me of Dustin! And Kyle was like Shane, and Tally was like my sister! They didn't have a mini-me though, so that really sucked."

"Must have been a bummer to leave, huh?"

"Kind of. But we were all going our separate ways…mostly. So it wasn't that bad. Besides, in my time there I learned some _awesome_ moves! Watch!"

Kaylee thought back as hard as she could to her training with Leanne Omino, and twirled through the air, her hands forming a series of punches and strikes while her foot kicked out, crashing into the main computer. It sparked and things froze on the screen.

"Um…I'm a little rusty?" Kaylee shrugged sheepishly.

"A little?" Kira laughed.

Then they realized the fritzy screens and the frozen images, as well as Hayley, who had cringed.

"Uh-oh," both girls gulped.

"Don't worry!" Hayley smiled, her fingers working like mad as a beeping noise echoed in the lab and a screen came up, showing a hillside with a small glowing purple bubble. "That little jolt must've done something to the wiring because I've got something! I've got a lock on an invisiportal!"

"Awesome!" the girls grinned, high-fiving each other.

"Guys," Hayley stated, bringing up the communications system. "I've found an Invisiportal that'll work. It's nearby where you are."

"_Alright, we'll meet Kira and Kaylee there_," Conner's voice came in over the line.

"Actually, I need you back here first. Just a little something needs to be explained about where you guys are going," Hayley told them.

"_On our way_," the Red Ranger confirmed.


	5. Back In Black

_**WARNING! **__Before continuing, you might wanna have read "Ninja Storm: Redone" by my friend Lily Hanson before you go on, or else some references and storyline may be lost on you. Thanks._

_Also, to those who have gone and read the prequel, awesome! Thanks guys! I told my friend Lily and she's super pleased!_

* * *

**Back In Black.**

By the time the boys got back to the Ranger Base, Kaylee and Kira had made a cover story to keep them from finding out about her being a Ranger, and Hayley had been made aware if need be that she help out.

"So, what's the word on the portal?" Ethan asked as they walked up to them.

"And more importantly," Conner grinned. "How cool was the rest of the video!"

"Secret Ninja School, destroyed by evil alien dude, three survivors turned into Rangers by their master, who got turned into a guinea pig," Kaylee began.

"Who then were joined by their two former enemy Rangers and their computer-whiz friend who was the guinea pig's son," Kira went on.

"Who at some point teamed up with the returning Wild Force Rangers, before going on to defeat the evil alien space guy by sacrificing their powers," Kaylee continued.

"And in the end, they graduated to become Sensei's at their school, or the other Academy, or race motocross professionally," Kira finished.

"Never,_ever_ let them try to summarize a movie for us," Ethan stated, looking at Conner, who nodded slowly, still staring at the girls.

"Alright, I've got the official lock on the Invisiportal," Hayley grinned. "It's down on the dirt road that heads towards the forest."

Conner rubbed his hands together, smiling. "We're on it," he said, turning and stepping away from the computer. The others looked at one another, nodded and then followed.

"Remember!" Haley called after them, speaking quickly. "You have to reach a speed of five hundred and thirty-six miles per hour upon entry; otherwise you'll never make it past the security wall and probably be ripped to pieces!"

The Rangers stopped dead. 

"Did I forget to mention that?" Haley grinned sheepishly as they slowly turned to stare incredulously at her. "I take that as a 'yes'."

"Five hundred and thirty-six miles per hour?" Kaylee frowned. "How random!"

"Can't I just run us through?" Conner inquired.

"There's no way of telling if you could make that speed before reaching the portal, or if you ever could!" Hayley explained. "And if you could, the sheer power of it might tear you apart."

"Oh…well that doesn't sound fun," he grimaced.

"Never fear, I have something for just such an occasion!" the redhead announced, pressing a button on the keyboard and causing a door to open, revealing four color-coded bikes.

"Sweet!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Amazing!" Kira breathed.

"To race again…," Kaylee whispered, rubbing her hands together.

Approaching the blue, yellow, green and red bikes slowly, Conner stared at them. "Which one's mine?" he asked, receiving unbelievable looks from Ethan. After a moment, the Red Ranger grinned. "I'm kidding…"

"You_so_ weren't kidding," Ethan laughed.

"These are your new Raptor-Cycles," Haley stated, coming over. "They should have you to the portal coordinates in approximately ninety-two, point seven five seconds."

"Those are some freaky precise numbers," Kaylee stared, wide-eyed as she was reminded of Cam for a moment there.

"And, when we get there?" Kira inquired.

"Use your gems to access the hyper drive," Haley replied. "Then head straight through the portal, to Mesogog's island fortress."

Conner paused a moment, gulping. "Wait, did you just say…_island_ fortress?"

"Yes…," Haley frowned. "Why?"

"Well…um," he stammered. "Islands, they're…surrounded by water."

"Usually," Haley says.

At this, realization hit Ethan and he grinned. "_No_…You can't swim?"

"I didn't say that," Conner snapped defensively.

"But it's true," Ethan's smile grew. "You can't."

"Heh, he totally can't!" Kaylee giggled. "Which is funny cuz we live on the coast of _California_! And my sister Tori is like a surfer pro!"

Conner just shot them a glare.

"The portal will take you directly to the island," Haley stated. "You'll never have to get wet."

He nodded as she returned to the computers, but he still looked pretty nervous. Taking in the moment, Ethan once more had trouble keeping in his laughter. "Can't swim…," he repeated for his own amusement, making Kaylee giggle again.

"Whatever, dudes," Conner glared, embarrassed. "Just, shut up, okay?"

"Hey, ignore them," Kira said comfortingly as she gave Conner's arm a squeeze. He looked down at her sympathetic smile. "They're just being dorks. It doesn't matter that you can't swim, I mean, everybody has their own quirks."

"Thanks," he fell into a smile, somewhat goofy, before looking at the team with his usual leadership mode back in place. "You guys ready?"

They all straightened and turned, raising their morphers. "Ready," they replied. 

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

Morphing, the teens mounted their cycles and the doors opened. Revving the engines, they rode off, leaving Hayley and the lab behind.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

The Rangers pulled to a stop on the abandoned roadway and looked down at their cycles. 

"Whoa," Ethan frowned. "It just stopped. What's up with that?"

"This must be where Haley programmed the coordinates," Kaylee stated, looking around. She spotted the familiar purple ball of light she was looking for and pointed up at it. "Look! There's the Invisiportal. I sure hope Dr. O's on the other side."

"Only one way to find out," Conner stated, looking at the others. "You guys ready?"

"Wouldn't be here if we weren't," Kaylee laughed.

"You know it," Ethan nodded.

"Ready," Kira affirmed.

They mounted the cycles again, but in a flash or purple, Elsa, Zeltrax and a swarm of Tyrannodrones appeared. The Rangers groaned.

"Hey," Conner stated. "No one invited you to the party."

"Yeah, you crasher!" Kaylee stuck out her tongue, despite the fact that her helmet was on. "We don't want you here."

"That's too bad," Elsa grinned evilly. "Because I brought some friends. Is that rude?"

"Extremely," Kira glared.

"You're not getting to that portal unless you're in chains," Zeltrax warned, stepping forward.

"I might be able to pull that look off," Kira began. 

"And so could I," Kaylee grinned, and then she looked at Kira. "But these guys?

"No way!" Kira laughed.

"I vote we go for it!" Conner called. Nodding, the others brought their engines to life. 

"Attack!" Elsa screamed, and her foot soldiers charged into battle to meet the Rangers.

It didn't take the Rangers long, driving their new cycles with ease, swerving and racing through the Tyrannodrone ranks to thin them out and take them down, power weapons in hand. Soon, only Zeltrax and Elsa were left.

Meeting in the middle, Ethan looked up, seeing the Invisiportal was getting very small. "Guys, hurry! The portal's still open!"

"We'll never make it!" Kira gasped, seeing as Elsa and Zeltrax were in between them and it.

"Yes we will," Kaylee nodded, jumping from her cycle to the back of Kira's and wrapping an arm around the other Ranger's waist before reaching her other one out in the direction of the portal. She closed her eyes, clearing her mind of everything but the image of the portal. "Just go for it, and I'll keep it open."

"Um, I know Dr.O was talking about the possibility of you trying to do this…but _can_ you?" Kira frowned, worry etched in her voice.

"Well, I hope so," Kaylee giggled nervously. "Cuz if not…"

She made a motion of one of her hands splatting onto the other and made the sound effects.

"Let's go!" Conner cried, and as Kaylee concentrated real hard to keep the portal open, taking a lot of her willpower and strength, they revved up their engines and rode towards it. Elsa fired blast after blast at them upon realizing what they planned to do, but narrowly, they made it, disappearing into the purple vortex.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Appearing inside a small hallway in Mesogog's lair, the Rangers were still on their bikes, parked. Kaylee, exhausted, slumped in her seat against Kira's back, taking deep breaths.

"You okay?" her friend smiled, patting her helmet-head. Weakly, the Green Ranger nodded.

"Hayley," Conner radioed the redhead through his morpher. "We're in."

"_Good_," Haley stated over the com-link. "_Kaylee, do you think you'll be able to port out for when you're done? Or do I have to recalibrate the bikes? Since you left yours I might be able to arrange something."_

"Um…I think I'll be okay…but just in case…," Kaylee mumbled.

"_Will do_," Hayley confirmed.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

"The lab should be just around this corner, I think," Kira stated as they turned another corner, breathless from running along the halls, now powered down to their civilian outfits. "At least we still have the element of—"

"Welcome," Mesogog hissed, stepping forward and causing the Rangers to stop dead in their tracks. "We've been expecting you."

"Figures…," Kaylee muttered as they backed up slowly, unaware of the doors closing behind.

"So much for surprise…," Kira squeaked.

"You remember me, I trust," Mesogog grinned. 

"Like I could forget that face," she spat. 

"Uh,_what_ part's his face?" Ethan inquired. Reaching the door, they stopped as they realized it was closed and that they were locked in. "Uh guys…"

"Don't worry…," Kaylee whispered, grabbing Kira and Ethan's hands, while the Yellow Ranger grabbed onto Conner's. "I've got this…"

"Obviously you are in need of some discipline," Mesogog growled, and as an orange-colored beam fired from his head, the four teens teleported out in a burst of green. Behind him, Elsa and Zeltrax teleported in through a purple portal. "Find them! NOW!"

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

The Rangers ran on down another hall – at the end of which they'd teleported minutes ago and Kira recognized as the dead-end Kaylee had saved her from. Soon, they turned into the throne room, finding Tommy tied to the same table Kira had been on a week ago.

"Hey, perfect timing," he grinned, and they came over to untie him. "Hit the red button."

"Okay," Ethan nodded, going over to press it. Turning to look over his shoulder, he watched the door shut right in front of Zeltrax and Elsa.

"Suckers," Kaylee snickered.

"I should have known you'd try to rescue me," Tommy stated, coming over to Ethan with the others and working at the computer.

"Is that your way of saying thanks?" Ethan inquired. "Cause if it is it needs some work."

"Major," Kaylee nodded. "You know, like the addition of the words 'thank' and 'you, one after another in a sentence."

"I'll thank you for real when we get out of here. Now, Hayley gave you the new Raptor Cycles, right?" he replied, taking a deep breath. They nodded. "Okay, Kaylee, are you able to teleport back to them, and out of here?"

"Um…out…probably," she nodded. "Around the castle of evil portals…not so much…there's something inside here about his portal network that messes with my powers…"

"Then we can use the main invisiportal network," Tommy nodded, stepping towards the controls to open a portal. "This way."

"Wait," Ethan stopped him. "We need to talk."

"Go, I'll explain later," Tommy stated. 

"We already know everything," Conner told him.

"We found the video diary," Kira added. 

"We know you're a power ranger," Ethan concluded.

"And that you had creepy long hair," Kaylee scrunched her nose up. "And that you stole my color!"

"Was, you guys," Tommy sighed. "Not anymore."

The door slid open and Zeltrax barged through with a shout, followed by Mesogog, Elsa and Tyrannodrones. Mesogog stepped forward, hissing angrily. "Ranger or not…you're mine now."

"I hate when he gets like this," Tommy groaned. 

"We can take it from here, Dr. O." Conner stated, and Tommy stood back as the four stepped forward, morphers in position. "Ready?"

"Ready," they replied.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Attack," Mesogog growled, and the others ran past him to combat the Rangers fiercely. Taking on the Tyrannodrones, Elsa and Zeltrax, the Rangers summoned their Thundermax Sabers, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Conner took on Zeltrax while Kira fought alongside him, against Elsa. Ethan got a swarm of Tyrannodrones, and Kaylee got this day's monster creation, consisting of a mix between a flower and a squid.

"The Hell is wrong with you?" Kaylee frowned upon seeing the monster. "You are one ugly piece of work."

"I am the Polinator!" he yelled, before rushing forward to attack her.

Meanwhile, Mesogog headed straight for Tommy, and the former Ranger didn't do too well as he was thrown back into a metal post. He got up, but after a few more hits and being thrown into some machinery, he lay flat, hurt.

"Dr. O!" Conner shouted as the Rangers finished off their opponents and glanced over.

"Head for the portal! I gotta get something!" he yelled, and they began to insist but he shook his head quickly. "Hurry!"

"We'd better do what he says," Conner nodded decisively. 

"Right," Kira agreed, and they jumped through.

Mesogog angrily turned to face them. Taking the opportunity, Tommy stood up quickly, pushing Mesogog away and flipping over a table, grabbing a large white crystal in the process. Fighting off a seriously pissed off Mesogog, as well as Tyrannodrones, Tommy jumped through the Invisiportal.

"Do not let him escape with that stone," Mesogog yelled, facing Elsa. "Go!"

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

The Rangers were just getting on their cycles in the hallway as Tommy fell from the portal behind them. "Hey," Kaylee greeted as she clambered onto Kira's Cycle behind her.

"Do we really need a souvenir?" Conner inquired, looking at the stone.

"This one we do," Tommy nodded, and sounds of Elsa and a group of Tyrannodrones running down the hall reached their ears.

"There they are!" she shouted.

"Ready?" Conner inquired, looking at Kaylee.

"Yep," she nodded, placing a hand on Conner's bike and the other on Ethan's as she closed her eyes. "Dr. O, hold onto something."

"Right," he affirmed, climbing onto Conner's Cycle behind him. "You sure you can do this?"

"Hopefully, yes," Kaylee nodded. "But, I might pass out after this…just as a heads-up."

_**ZWOP!**_

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

The Rangers and Tommy arrived safely on in an empty plaza, skidding their bikes to a stop. Tommy dismounted the bike, breathlessly falling to his knees as he clutched the stone tightly.

Almost immediately, Elsa and her army appeared a ways behind him.

"Oh great…they followed…poop heads…," Kaylee mumbled before slumping forward in her seat, against Kira. The Yellow Ranger looked over her shoulder and sighed.

Tommy stood up to face them, and raised the stone in front of him to absorb the blast Zeltrax fired from his sword. The Rangers (minus unconscious Green Ranger) called out with worry, dismounting their bikes.

Kaylee woke moments later as a blinding white flash of electricity sparked from Zeltrax's sword and Tommy was thrown back from the blast.

"The hell!" she yelled, covering her eyes with her hands like the other Rangers as it hit them. When they were able to open them again, Tommy was nowhere to be seen, and only the shattered remains of the stone lay on the ground.

"Dr. Oliver!" Ethan shouted. "This can't be happening."

"Such negativity," Elsa commented, grinning evilly. "Haven't you learned that in our world, anything's possible?"

"Even the destruction of the great Dr. Tommy Oliver," Zeltrax added.

"Quiet Emo Barbie and Ken!" Kaylee snapped.

A shimmer appeared in the air between the groups, and Tommy stepped out of it, something small clasped in his hands that didn't resemble the large stone at all anymore. "I heard my name," he grinned, amused. "You missed me, didn't you Zeltrax?"

Zeltrax only stared in confusion, while three Rangers ran up in relief. "Awesome!" Ethan cried.

"What just happened?" Kaylee frowned, walking over as well.

Continuing the questions, Conner noticed Tommy's hand had begun to glow, and he tapped his closed fist. "Hey, Dr.O, what's this?"

Opening his hand, Tommy revealed a small black stone, glowing now with energy, and the Rangers all gasp in surprise. 

"A black dino gem," Ethan grinned. "Let me guess, the power of invisibility."

"Looks like it," Tommy nodded, smiling a little.

"That gem belongs to my master," Elsa growled angrily.

"There's two things you guys need to learn about dino gems," Tommy stated, looking at her. "One, you can't choose them; they choose you."

"What's the other?" she asked.

Raising his wrist quickly, his sleeve fell back enough to reveal a dark morpher on his wrist. "They go _real_ well with dino morphers," he grinned, slamming the stone into it. Immediately the morpher started to glow.

Elsa looked slightly amused, but not quite confident. "Aren't you a little bit old for this, Tommy?" she snickered.

"I may be old," Tommy began. 

"Real old," Kaylee laughed, but went quiet when he glanced at her.

"But I can still pull it off," he finished, grabbing a key in his other hand and connecting it with the morpher. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

Twisting the key, he began his morph and soon a Ranger in a black suit like theirs with golden spikes stood with them. "Dino Thunder—Black Ranger!"

"Just like riding a bike," Tommy grinned. 

"One more makes no difference," Zeltrax growled, though his tone betrayed that he was lying. Raising his sword, he yelled. "Attack!"

They all rushed at each other and began to fight. Testing his powers, Tommy took on a large group of Tyrannodrones, and it took very little time for them all to end up lying on the ground. Ruining the moment, Zeltrax stepped in, sword raised.

"Let's see what you're made of," Zeltrax stated. Accepting the challenge, Tommy took out his new weapon – The Brachio Staff.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Kira cried out as Elsa's sword struck her in the back, but held her ground, spinning around and knocking the woman back with a roundhouse kick. Calling her Ptera Grips to her command, she rushed forward, matching Elsa hit for hit.

She was distracted for a moment by Kaylee's teleporting sound, wanting to make sure the other girl wasn't overexerting her powers, and found the Green Ranger going head-to-head against the Polinator monster, that kept teleporting as well. 

The distraction was enough for Elsa to charge her sword with an electrical blast and smash it into Kira, sending sparks flying. She cried out in pain, collapsing.

"Kira!" Conner yelled, jumping from his back-to-back fight alongside Ethan against a band of Tyrannodrones to get to her, just as Elsa brought down her sword again. He summoned his Tyranno Staff, blocking her hit just in time.

"This is not your fight Red Ranger," Elsa growled, glaring at him over their locked weapons.

"You hurt Kira," Conner spat back. "And it becomes my fight."

"We're not intimidated by your teacher," she added.

He paused, struggling against her sword for a moment. "Then you've obviously never taken one of his pop quizzes," he stated dryly.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Kaylee looked around, frowning. "Where'd Squidward the ugly flower go?"

"Looking for me?" a voice chuckled from behind, and she turned to see it a few feet off in a flash of red. "I'm flattered."

"Well I'm sure Conner wouldn't be flattered that you're stealing his color to teleport your ugly behind," Kaylee snickered, summoning her Spino Whip. "Now, we gonna finish this or what?"

"Try it, Power Loser!" the Polinator taunted.

Glaring, Kaylee cracked her whip on the ground, sending a small shockwave of green sparks at the creature. They hit their mark and exploded, flooring the creature.

"Who's the loser now?" she grinned.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Conner continued to battle Elsa, gaining the lead and landing a kick to her stomach that sent her staggering back. She glared at him breathlessly, and then straightened up. "We will meet again, Red Ranger," she vowed, before teleporting away.

Conner turned back and ran over to Kira who was only now gaining the strength to push herself up. He grabbed her arms and helped her to her feet. "You okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yep, better than I would've been if you hadn't stepped in," she nodded.

"If that's your way of saying thanks, then you're welcome," he teased, earning a light tap on the arm. "You good to help the others?"

The Yellow Ranger nodded and the two of them rushed off to findKaylee and Ethan, shooting down the Polinator with their Thundermax Lasers. "How you guys doing?"

"Better than he is," Kaylee chuckled, watching the monster sway precariously. 

"Let's put 'em together!" Ethan suggested. 

"Yeah, good call," Conner nodded. The four summoned their power weapons once more, combining them. "Z-Rex blaster!"

"Don't be a Pollinator hater!" the monster shouted.

"Too bad! I'm allergic to pollen!" Kaylee shot back, standing across from Kira with the Z-Rex Blaster supported between them, on Ethan's shoulder.

"Fire!" Conner called, and they sent a huge blast towards the monster, engulfing it in an explosion that broke it apart.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Meanwhile, Tommy and Zeltrax continued their battle, and Zeltrax was eventually thrown against a large stone wall, landing on the ground in a heap. He got to his knees as Tommy watched him, his sword before him. "Go ahead," Zeltrax spat. "I dare you."

"No," Tommy shook his head, lowering his weapon. "I got a message for your boss. Tell him Tommy's back. And no matter what color I am, he'll never defeat me." 

Zeltrax stood and stared at him for a moment, then jumped up, disappearing into a portal. Just then, a large black rain cloud rolled across the sky, crackling with purple electricity. It rained down on the remains of the Pollinator, making it grow into building-size.

The Rangers all stare up at it and Tommy's morpher beeps. "Haley?" he asked.

"_Welcome back_," she stated. "_I've got a little homecoming present for you. I found it on the north side of the forest._"

The ground began to rumble and the Rangers glanced down the street at a huge Black and gold Dino Zord, bigger than any they'd ever seen.

"_Meet the Brachiozord_," Hayley went on. "_Retrieving the black gem must have awakened him_."

"Whoa…," Kira and Kaylee breathed, exchanging glances.

"_Wait till you see what he has inside_," the redhead concluded. "_I think you can handle it from here."_

The Zord opened at the right side, top of its back and tail, revealing the Tyranno, Ptera and Tricera Zords. Kaylee watched, and pouted.

"Man, no fair!" she whined. "Tommy becomes a Ranger _again_ he gets a Zord! But _I_ don't?"

"Sorry Kay," Kira stated, patting her on the shoulder. "Let's go guys!

Her, Conner and Ethan leaped into their Zords and immediately began the Megazord transformation to create Thundersaurus Megazord. The Green and Black Rangers watched as the other three were nearly made quick work of by the Pollinator.

On orders from Hayley, Tommy looked at his morpher as it changed from the Brachio head to the blue of the Cephalazord. "Locking on," he stated, inserting the key into his morpher. The Brachiozord opened again and a small blue Zord hopped out, boxing gloves on its hands as it mock-fought its way down the street.

As Tommy left to phase with the Cephalazord and then into the Thundersaurus Megazord, Kaylee teleported somewhere and then teleported back, onto a nearby bench. Opening the backpack she'd brought with her, she brought out a handful of different toys.

She had a Tweety bird, a plastic dinosaur that was in the model of a Spinosaurus, a Barbie doll, a plastic dolphin, a soldier and two bugs. "Hmm, might be harder this time around," she stated, placing them before her on the bench. "Kira gets Tweety, and I get the Spinosaurus."

She put both aside, and stared at the others. "Well, Dr.O gets the soldier because he's using the Cephalazord right now. And Conner can have the Barbie doll until I find something else," she grinned, putting them both aside as well. "The bug can be the monster, and…wait!"

_**ZWOP!**_

She was back a moment later with a small computer made of Papier Mache, something she'd made for her father a long time ago before…before he and her mother had gone.

"There, Ethan gets a computer even if it has nothing to do with a Triceratops!" she concluded, throwing the Navy-colored bug and the Dolphin back into her bag. "And the _real_ Zord fight begins!"

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

A little while after destroying the Polinator, the four Rangers found Kaylee, demorphed, sitting on the ground in front of a bench and toys in her hands. They approached slowly, demorphing as well, and frowned.

"Kay, what are you doing?" Kira inquired.

"Helping you guys in the Zord fight against Squidward the ugly flower," Kaylee stated, never taking her eyes away from her creation. "Unfortunately, he's now a bug; because I didn't have a squid toy and didn't wanna use the dolphin cuz it's too special!"

Exchanging glances, the Rangers crowded around to see that Kaylee was acting out the Zord battle, using her toys. "Who's who?" Conner chuckled.

"Kira is Tweety cuz it's a bird and yellow, and I get the Spinosaurus because it's my Dino," Kaylee began. "Ethan gets the computer, because it represents him and because I didn't have a Triceratops. Tommy gets the soldier cuz it reminds of the Cephalazord and you get the Barbie!"

"What!" his grin immediately fell, and he looked taken aback as the others laughed.

"It's alright Conner, I know it must be tough having a Zord that's prettier than you, but you'll deal, won't you?" Kira grinned, patting him on the back.

xX-Back-In-Black-Xx

Later on, at Cyberspace, the four teens were gathered on the couches with Tommy sitting across from them. "What a day," Ethan sighed. "New bikes…new Zords…"

"Still don't have one," Kaylee grumbled.

"New Ranger," Conner commented, looking up at Tommy. "Well, sorta new."

"Dr. O," Kira frowned. "Are you gonna tell us how you happened to have that morpher ready?"

"Or why you get _two_ new Zords and mine is still lost in the mail!" Kaylee groaned.

"Well Kira, right after you became Rangers, I got an energy reading on the tracking system. I had an idea it was another gem, so I had Hayley build the morpher, just in case," Tommy stated. "As for your question Kaylee, I'm sure that in no time we'll find the egg with the Spinozord in it."

"So I _do_ have a Zord?" she grinned.

"Yep," Tommy nodded. "It's just…"

"Lost in the mail?" Kaylee suggested, shrugging. 

"Sort of," Tommy laughed.

"Oh well."

"Well, I'd better get going," the Black Ranger stated, getting to his feet.

Haley watched as he began to leave. "Going? Where're you going?"

Leaning on the back of the couch behind Kira and Conner, he grinned. "Shopping," he declared. "I checked my closet this morning, and there's a serious shortage of black in there."


	6. Diva In Distress

**Diva In Distress.**

_**I'm over you**_

_**Better believe it's true**_

_**Oh I see in your eyes**_

_**Every time that you lie**_

_**I'm over you**_

_**I'm over you**_

_**Darling, I'm done, I'm through**_

_**You can say it again**_

_**That you wanna be friends**_

_**But when we get to the end, I'm glad**_

_**I'm over you**_

As the song finished, a rare few in Cyberspace clapped and cheered, because most were busy talking and bustling with other things and most were just making noise. Kaylee frowned as the last chords faded out, and glanced over at Kira.

The Green Ranger had had to cover for her quite a bit on that song, because it seemed the dirty blonde just wasn't into it right now – even if it was a song she'd written.

Telling the band they were taking five, the girls put their guitars on their stands and walked off towards the table where Ethan, Conner and Dr.O sat, sliding into their two regular seats.

"That was awesome," Conner smiled. "Is that something new?"

"Yeah," she nodded absently.

"We're still working on the hook, but I think it's pretty good," Kaylee replied.

"I'm telling you, if this superhero gig doesn't work out, you two definitely have a musical career to fall back on," Ethan told them.

"It's kinda hard to have a musical career when you can hardly get anyone listen to you play," Kira muttered as the busboy, Trent, came buy with drinks and a sketchpad under his arm.

"Well I was listening and I think you girls rock," he stated. As she looked up to smile and meet his eyes, she glanced at the drawing in his arms and nodded to it.

"What are you working on?" she asked.

"Nope, not till it's done," he grinned, shuffling it away to his other arm.

"Okay," she smiled and Kaylee held back a giggle.

"Nobody appreciates good music these days," Tommy stated. "All you hear on the radio is the pop garbage."

"Yeah," Hayley nodded, coming up to the table. "Like what's her name? Kylee Styles?"

"Man, I don't like her! Her name's too close to mine!" Kaylee grumbled, but stopped her playful whining when she saw Kira had tensed up and looked mildly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Kylee Styles has some good music on the radio," Conner nodded.

"Translation: he thinks she's fine," Ethan laughed as Tommy grimaced.

"No I don't!" Conner exclaimed, before most gave him looks. "Okay, yeah I do. But, that has nothing to do with it."

"You know she used to be a really good song writer," Kira stated, turning attention to her again. "She _was_ really sweet, too. Now she's all about image."

"You say that like you two are friends," Ethan frowned.

"We used to be," Kira rolled her eyes, and the boys exchanged skeptical looks. "What! It's true! We were in a band together, then she got discovered by this agent and now she's this huge pop diva."

"Oh c'mon," Conner scoffed. "You don't expect us to believe that, do you?"

"Whatever," Kira sighed, seeing this was going nowhere.

"No matter what the boneheads think, I believe you Kira!" Kaylee grinned.

"Ahh, here's your chance to prove it; according to her fansite she's gonna be in town to promote her new CD," Ethan stated, typing away at his laptop.

"Oh we are _so_ there!" Conner grinned, making Kira roll her eyes.

"Great…," she sighed.

"Eww, do we have to go see the girl who's name is scarily close to mine!" Kaylee whined.

"Yeah, and since you two are such good buddies," Conner added, looking at Kira as he spoke in a tone that still held disbelief in her story. "Maybe you can hook me up."

"Hey!" Trent waved at a man in a suit who had just walked in, and left to see him. Tommy followed him with a gaze that turned to shock when he spotted the man, and he too drifted off in that direction.

"Earth to Dr.O!" Kaylee called after their mentor, but he walked off. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Fine! Ignore us!"

"Who's that guy?" Ethan inquired. The others shrugged.

"Hey, Trent," the man nodded, straightening his tie as Tommy approached.

"Anton Mercer…," he shook his head. "I can't believe it."

He offered his hand, and hesitantly, the man shook it. "Tommy," Anton acknowledged. "Tommy Oliver! How've you been?"

"You know my dad?" Trent frowned.

"Dad?" Tommy inquired. "Well I had no idea… I mean your last name is—"

"It's Fernandez," Anton cut him off, clapping a hand on Trent's shoulder. "It's a long and complicated story Tommy but more importantly, how are you?"

"Trent, can you help out with table three?" Hayley inquired, walking over. "There's been a bit of a mocha-chino incident."

"Yeah…I'll be right there," he nodded before walking off with her. "See ya!"

"I don't understand," Tommy began. "I thought you were dead, I mean the island was destroyed…"

"Well I was lucky, Tommy," Anton told him. "From the looks of it we both were."

"Why didn't you call? Send a message?"

"Yeah well you know what it's like…starting over. Trying to get your bearings."

"Yeah, I do," Tommy sighed, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "Anton, the experiments we were working on…some crazy things have been happening. We need to figure some things out."

"I suppose you're right," Anton nodded as he pulled away. "Look, I'll clear some time next week if that's alright with you."

"But…"

"It's good seeing you again, Tommy. Truly, it is," Anton nodded, clapping him on the shoulder before walking out of Cyberspace, leaving the Black Ranger confused and lost.

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

The crowd at the bottom of the escalators cheered as Kylee Styles' song played on the speaks above and she, accompanied by half a dozen agents and security guards, descended the escalator towards them, smiling and waving.

"Thank you guys so much for coming out!" Kylee called. When she reached the bottom, she went through the crowd and over to her signing table. The fans grouped around, and Kira groaned as she lost sight of the table due to her small stature.

"You've seen her, we're here, can we go?" she inquired, looking up at Conner, the only one of their group who'd wanted to come seeing as Kaylee was scared of the other girl's name, Ethan just wasn't interested and Tommy was busy.

"No way! You said you knew her, right? Let's go say hi!" he grinned.

"Oh,_now_ you believe her?" Kaylee scoffed, who, despite her dread of Kylee, was here to support her best friend because after all, _she_ believed her.

"C'mon!" Conner exclaimed, ignoring Kaylee's question by grabbing Kira's hand and pulling her through the crowd, and she in turn dragged the Green Ranger along.

"How many of these _leeches_ are there?" Kylee hissed to her agent, who sat at the table beside her, keeping up a smile. "My hand is gonna fall off!"

"Go ahead, ask," Conner nudged Kira forward, a Kylee Styles CD grasped tightly in his hands.

"Who do you want it made out to?" Kylee inquired, not at all recognizing the girl in yellow in front of her as she stepped up to the table.

"Just write: _to my old friend, Kira Ford_," Kira suggested, and Kylee's writing stopped half-way. She looked up, eyes wide and a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Kira!" she exclaimed, and Kira nodded slightly. "WOW! I haven't seen you for _ages_!"

The pop diva hopped from her seat to hug the dirty blonde and give her air kisses on the cheeks, and Conner stared in disbelief.

"She wasn't lying!" he whispered.

"Duh!" Kaylee smirked, hitting him on the arm. "You should have more faith in your teammates and friends, silly!"

"I didn't know you were a fan of mine!" Kylee smiled, and the grins dropped from Kira and Kaylee's faces, as they exchanged glances. "I'm flattered!"

"Actually," Kira stated flatly. "It's my friend who's the fan."

Kylee looked towards the other blonde, but Kaylee shrunk back, shaking her head vigorously and pointing towards Conner. When the pop diva's attention went to him, the Green Ranger sighed heavily. "Phew. That was close. I almost got diva germs."

Conner took his spotlight moment, stepping forward to shake her hand. "It's Conner, with an ER," he smiled his trademark grin that had captivated most cheerleaders at Reefside High.

"Did uh, Kira tell you that she and I used to sing together?" Kylee inquired.

"Yeah," he nodded, grinning. "I just, didn't believe her at first."

"Or at all…," Kira muttered too low for them to hear, sighing. Kaylee patted her on the shoulder.

"Oh, it wasn't anything professional just uh…silly teen angst stuff!" Kylee stated, flipping her hair with indifference.

"I thought we had some pretty good songs…," Kira stated.

"Oh…!" Kylee was uncomfortable now, and Kaylee held back a laugh. "Yeah sure…at the time…they were great. But hey, at some point you gotta grow up!"

"Which she apparently didn't," Kaylee whispered. "She's still a life-size little girl trying to be the best Barbie she can be."

"So true," Kira agreed as Cassidy pushed her way through the crowd and Kylee's attention perked up at the use of the word "press."

"Cassidy Cornell, Reefside Reporter," the blonde introduced herself and the Rangers were pushed farther away. "I'm here to do a story on how you went from struggling nobody to pop superstar!"

"Aren't you kind!" Kylee grinned. "Well it all started when…oh hold on!"

Kira turned back when her name was called, and found Kylee smiling such a fake apology in her direction. "Oh, Kira! I'm so sorry! Duty calls! Can we catch up later?" she inquired, winking. "You're awesome!"

Kira merely sighed and nodded absently, turning away and leaving the crowd with her friends.

"Heh, she said _duty_!" Kaylee giggled. She then noticed the annoyance Kira was now showing towards meeting her old friend and her smile sunk. "Oh…I mean…she sucks!"

"Well, you got to meet the famous superstar," Kira muttered, looking up at Conner.

"Look, if you're mad because I didn't believe you about Kylee, I'm sorry," he stated. "C'mon. I mean she's so…and you're so—"

"What?" Kira growled, daring him to finish his sentence, eyes narrowed.

"Uh-oh," Kaylee squeaked. "Don't go there Red-boy."

"I'm what?" Kira stated, a little louder. When Conner hesitated, wanting to kick himself for starting a sentence that _clearly_ wasn't safe to finish, she shook he head, chuckling darkly. "You know what, forget it. I think it's clear that this was a stupid idea. I mean, how could I expect you guys to believe that someone as unpopular and lone-wolf-type like me would know someone pretty and popular like _Kylee Styles_…"

She turned and stormed off, but only made it a few feet before screams echoed down the escalator from which Kylee had left moments ago. She glanced back at Conner and Kaylee and a split second later all three teens were running up the escalator that led to the parking lot.

They found the screaming Kylee and her guards surrounded by Tyrannodrones and some large grey-furred monster that resembled a Donkey. "Get away from me you freaks!" Kylee shouted in a high pitched tone, becoming flustered. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Of course I do! I'm a big fan!" the monster grinned.

Kylee made a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a squeak as Tyrannodrones and the Donkeyvac rushed at her and her guards and agents all but ran away. Kira, Kaylee and Conner then clicked into fighting mode, rushing forward to face off against separate groups of Tyrannodrones.

Kira was grabbed from behind by a drone, who tried to flip her to the ground but she countered, twirling over its shoulder and kicking the one holding Kaylee in the back of the head. It dropped Kaylee, who was able to turn around and kick the Tyrannodrone low in the knees so it buckled and dropped Kira.

She nodded her thanks and turned, running off to where a few drones had cornered Kylee. She stood in front of the squealing Kylee, adopting a defensive fighting stance as she glared at the few Tyrannodrones around them, daring them to step forward.

"Kira, what are you doing!" she shrieked.

"Ask later; run now!" Kira ordered, and the frightened pop star nodded, running off as noisily and squeamishly as she could. The Yellow Ranger then lunged forward; ducking under the swipe of a drone and bringing her leg back up behind her to kick the drone in the gut.

Another scream from Kylee interrupted her fight pattern and she faltered enough for a Tyrannodrone to knock her to the ground. She groaned, slightly dazed, and looked up to see its large scaled and sharp sword-arm come ripping through the air towards her, and her voice caught in her throat, keeping her from unleashing her sonic scream.

The blow never came as a flash of red went past her eyes, and the Tyrannodrone was sent flying into a post. Conner stood above her, smirking and seemingly proud of himself as he outstretched a hand to help her up.

"That's not going to make up for not believing me," Kira stated, standing up on her own. Another scream from Kylee stopped him from saying something in return, and they glanced down the parking lot to where a bunch of Tyrannodrones had darted off around a corner.

"Go after Kylee, we'll hold down the fort," he told her, sadness tainting his words. She nodded, promising herself to speak with him later and ran off in the direction of the scream.

Skidding to a stop, she found Kylee staring into her compact mirror as a flash of purple signaled the drones and Donkeyvac warping away. "My face!" she cried in anguish. "My beautiful face!"

Kira sighed, walking over to her and patting her comfortingly as the other two arrived, not saying a word. The Yellow Ranger glanced in their direction, shrugging.

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

Ethan, Conner, Kaylee and Tommy watched the Ranger Base computer screen as it showed various places Donkeyvac was visiting, zapping energy out of people on the street.

"A Donkey that can extract youth out of people?" Ethan frowned, turning to look at the other three. "That is wrong in so many ways!"

"Mesogog's probably found a way to harness youth into energy. We have to figure out a way to fight it," Tommy stated glumly. He looked around then, noticing only three of four teenage Rangers were present. "Where's Kira?"

Conner's face darkened then, and Kaylee rolled her eyes. "She's taking Kylee to Cyberspace. Apparently seeing her face all old and shriveled up gave her a meltdown or something. I think it looks better than before – way more natural!" she giggled.

"I gotta admit, it was pretty brutal," Conner nodded.

"Are you referring to the pop diva's sudden resemblance to a raisin? Or the cold shoulder Kira gave you?" she inquired, causing Ethan to grin.

"Dude, what did you do _this_ time?" the Blue Ranger chuckled.

"We'll talk about respect for your elders later," Tommy stated. "But right now, there's something we need to take care of."

The three Rangers walked into the center of the Ranger Base, bringing their wrists up as their Dino Gem bracelets flashed and turned into their morphers. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

"My career is _over_!" Kylee whined for what seemed like the hundredth time this minute. She sat on one of the cushioned chairs in Cyberspace, with Kira seated on the sofa across from her, looking at her old friend as sympathetically as she could. "This is the worst thing that has happened to anyone, ever!"

"Oh c'mon, Kylee, I'm sure someone will find a way to reverse this," Kira stated.

"But I was supposed to go on 'You Request It' _tonight_!" she complained.

"Just because you look a little older doesn't mean you can't sing," the Reefside rocker explained.

"Right!" the pop diva scoffed. "Go on national TV looking like _this_! I must look at least…forty!"

Kira rolled her eyes, sighing deeply before her Dino Gem bracelet went off. Realizing the others needed her, she started to get up, silently thanking the gods for this luck. "I gotta go!"

"No!" Kylee pleaded, grabbing her hand and pulling her back onto the sofa seat.

"Look, Hayley will look after you," Kira promised. "You'll be fine."

"But I want you to stay," Kylee whined. "You're my friend. You can't leave me like this!"

_Way to guilt trip me…_, Kira thought, sighing as she sat back down, ignoring the Ranger call.

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

As Ethan and Tommy were thrown a few feet away, Conner and Kaylee tagged teamed the Donkeyvac using their Power Weapons – the Tyranno Staff and the Spino Whip. It didn't take long before the Donkeyvac wrapped an arm around each weapon and pulled with such strength that the Rangers were lifted off their feet and sailed through the air, crashing onto the ground.

"We need Kira!" Kaylee yelled.

"I called her – she's not answering!" Conner replied.

"Gee, not answer _you_? I wonder why!" she pointed out, and he sighed. They looked up in time to see Cassidy and Devin get blasted and turn old, before the Donkeyvac returned to their fight. Zeltrax joined in as well, separating Tommy and Ethan from the other two.

"Catch me if you can!" Donkeyvac teased, running off down a street in order to separate the two Ranger sets so that they couldn't help one another out.

"This is _so_ not how I pictured my day going!" Kaylee groaned as she and the Red Ranger went off in pursuit of the youth-stealing monster.

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

"What am I going to do? I can't face my public looking like this!" Kylee was still whining, and if this had been a cartoon, a throbbing vein probably would've been sticking out of Kira's forehead by now.

"Calm down, Kylee, you're not the only one in trouble. This thing is attacking people all over the city!" Kira stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?" she asked, sounding indifferent. "Well that is not my problem. I'm Kylee Styles."

"Conner was right…," the dirty blonde sighed. "We are _so_ different."

Kira took a deep breath, reaching into her pocket to pull out an audio tape, handing it to Kylee. "This is the Kylee I used to know," she stated, as the pop diva took the tape. "She was someone who cared about other people; not just herself."

Her Dino Gem bracelet went off again, this time not only from the Red Gem's call but also from Green. "I gotta go," she told her old friend, getting up and leaving Cyberspace. Kylee watched her go before sighing and sticking the tape in the air, behind her, where she knew Hayley was watching. 

"Can you play this for me?" the redhead walked over and grabbed the tape, walking over to put it in the player. As Kylee absentmindedly played with her silver hair, acoustic guitar flowed out through the speakers and the joined voices of two girls sounded out.

_**True love, can't take it no more**_

_**True love, it broke my heart, it made my whole life soar**_

_**He said he'd by my baby, then why did he betray me?**_

_**Temptation got to his head…**_

Kylee hugged her blanket closer, images of a teen garage band entering her mind.

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

By the time Conner and Kaylee caught up to the Donkeyvac, he had made it to the Tennis Courts. The Red Ranger looked around, seeing the way they came was the only way in or out.

"Alright, we've got it cornered!" he grinned.

"That's what you think!" Donkeyvac cackled, powering up.

Laser beams shot from its nose and blasted the two teens right off their feet in a shower of sparks. They fell hard on the ground, holding back curses that were drowned out by hisses of pain. Donkeyvac stepped forward, a threatening stride in his step. "It's over Rangers!"

Kaylee and Conner grimaced, straining to sit up. "This guy is brutal," Kaylee groaned.

"You said it," Conner agreed. Taking his leadership role, he stood in front of Kaylee as best he could as the monster approached and it fired up a laser, pointing it at Conner's head.

Both Rangers suddenly clasped their hands over their ears as a scream unlike any other broke out through the air. A scream they recognized very well.

Yellow sound waves knocked Donkeyvac off his feet and sent him flying across the tennis court as the unmorphed Kira came into view, a smirk painted across her features. She walked over and crossed her arms, looking down at Conner.

"Looks like we're even," she stated, before he and Kaylee got to their feet.

"Except next time, you may wanna give us a heads up on the Ptera Scream, because our hearing sure won't be even," he told her and she grinned sheepishly.

"Right, sorry," she nodded.

"Excellent!" Donkeyvac said greedily, standing up. "More youth for me!"

"I don't think so," she stated wryly, bringing her wrist up as her morpher appeared. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

As the yellow latex molded itself onto her body, the cry of the Pterodactyl rang out in the court and she grinned under her mask. "Ptera Power! Yellow Ranger!"

The three Rangers called upon their Thundermax Sabers, leaping forward to attack the creature. A few fight maneuvers later and the Rangers were rolling across the grounds after being hit by a large laser blast.

Kira and Kaylee rolled to a stop beside a bucket of tennis balls and rackets that had been knocked over god knows how long ago. They looked at one another, grinned and picked up the rackets and a tennis ball each.

"Care for a doubles match?" Kaylee dared the monster, which stood across from them on the other side of the net.

"You're no match for me!" Donkeyvac chuckled.

"We'll see about that!" Kira stated, as she and Kaylee launched into the air, putting all their strength into a good hit that send two tennis balls hurtling towards Donkeyvac as it fired off its lasers. Unaware of the trajectory of the tennis balls, he was surprised when they smashed into his nostrils, clogging the laser and it backfired, throwing him backwards in a shower of sparks.

"Hey!" Conner called, running over. "Think we can manage the Z-Rex blaster without Ethan?"

"Totally," Kira nodded and Kaylee agreed as they called out their Power Weapons, putting them together as Conner stood behind the weapon and the girls used their shoulders to support it. "FIRE!"

The beam tore through Donkeyvac, obliterating it as tiny pieces drifted to the ground. Small orbs of purple light shot out from the destroyed monster pieces and flew away in different directions.

"Hopefully that's people's youth and not like a fart or pieces of his soul cuz that would suck after all the work we went through," Kaylee commenting, causing the other two to turn and look at her. "What? Haven't you learned I speak random thoughts!"

xX-Diva-In-Distress-Xx

"Is that me?" Kira inquired as she and Kaylee stood at the counter of Cyberspace where Hayley held a sketch of a girl that resembled Kira but was clothed in a yellow version of Supergirl's outfit, with a "K" on the suit, pigtails in her hair and she flew across the page, feet firmly planted on a yellow and white guitar. "Where did you get that?"

"Where do you think?" Kaylee giggled as Trent walked past. Kira left the girl's side, walking over to the busboy.

"That's what you were drawing?" Kira inquired, catching his attention as he turned to face her.

"Yeah…I don't know why Hayley put it up but…you know how insistent she can be," he replied.

"No, it's great," she smiled. "But how come you drew me as a superhero?"

"Cuz you're brave," he stated. "Getting onstage, saying stuff from your heart, not conforming to some image."

"Hey!" Kaylee exclaimed, having been listening in. "I go up there with her and…"

She trailed off when Kira sent her a death glare, silencing her.

"Besides," Trent went on, smiling sheepishly. "Superheroes are all I know how to draw."

"Thanks, it's really sweet," she told him, smiling kindly. Hayley then called over, signaling her presence onstage and she nodded, walking towards Kaylee. "Ready to go?"

"Nope," the Green Ranger grinned. "You're going up there solo today."

"How come?" Kira frowned.

"I know what you wanted to play to open today's set, but I don't think I can fill the shoes that are placed up there for me," she shrugged.

"Kayl, you don't have to. You're _better_ than those shoes," Kira grinned.

"Maybe, but…just trust me on this one, okay?"

"Alright."

And with that Kira walked onto the stage, picking her friends out of the crowd in a few places: the boys and Tommy at their usual table, Trent and Hayley at the counter and Kaylee in a booth by the door.

"I wrote this song with a friend of mine a long time ago, which is why Kaylee's not up here for this one, because she's letting me do this on my own, as a way to break free from an old thought," Kira stated, smiling. "For that, I hope you like it."

She began with light, simple chords on her acoustic guitar and stepped closer to the microphone as some in the crowd smiled. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at them and began to sing.

_**Best friends  
They come and go depending on your highs and your lows  
My best friend decided not to be there when I needed her the most  
I thought you'd be there for me  
Then why did you lie to me  
Using me to get what you want?  
Then I couldn't believe it happened  
No, I couldn't understand**_

As Kira paused before the next verse, someone stepped onto stage with her, walking up to the microphone that was usually Kaylee's. The crowd cheered as Kylee Styles joined in with Kira Ford when the chorus picked up.

_**True love walked out the door  
Couldn't take it no more  
True love  
It broke my heart  
You make my whole life sore  
He said he'd be my baby  
Then why did he betray me?  
Temptation got to his head  
Then I left him, yeah  
And this is what I said**_

_**It feels like it's gonna be okay  
(It's gonna be okay)  
It feels right  
It just feels that way  
(It just feels that way  
It feels like  
It'll be a better day  
Cause I believe that in the end  
Good things are coming my way**_

As the song came to an end, the crowd roared with applause and the two girls onstage smiled. Kira's eyes trailed down towards a booth near the door, where Kaylee applauded and mirrored her smile.

Kylee hugged her old friend. "Thanks for this, Kira," she smiled, and the Yellow Ranger thought she saw a brief piece of the old Kylee Styles return to the surface before the pop diva stepped offstage and into a crowd of fans asking for autographs.

She placed her guitar on its stand and sat down on the edge of the stage, watching the groupies swarm around her like bees. She sighed, and swung her feet forward and back, only slightly aware when someone sat down beside her.

"Thanks for the chance to relive the past Kayl," Kira stated, still looking at her feet.

"I'm sure Kaylee would return with a 'you're welcome', but uh, clearly not Kaylee," a voice chuckled and Kira turned her head to see that it was Conner that had joined her.

"Oh, hey," she frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Cyberspace, it's now our usual hang-out spot," Conner stated. "Did the Donkeyvac whack you in the head or something?"

"No, I mean what are you doing _here_?" she asked, pointing to the stage where they sat. Her finger then motioned to something over her shoulder and Conner craned his neck to see where she was pointing. "Shouldn't you be over there, with the rest of the fan club?"

"I'd rather be part of yours," he stated.

"Yeah, right," Kira scoffed. "Go. It's not like I'm bothered by it."

"You are," Conner nodded. "Just like you're still bothered about what I said at the mall."

"I'm over it," she said flatly, but did not sound over it one bit.

"You're not; you and I both know it," he stated, before sighing. "Look, you never gave me a chance to explain my actions earlier. I told you I was sorry for not believing you and I meant it, because…in the time we've been Rangers, I've learned a lot about you. And I know you're too honest and kind of a person to lie about something like that."

"And what about that whole '_she's so…and you're so_…' bit to your apology at the mall?" Kira inquired, arms crossed and a lopsided smirk placed on her features.

"Ah," Conner gulped, not really wanting to go there anymore.

"Go on, I'm not going to kill you or anything," she chuckled.

"Well it's just…I didn't want to believe you because, the two of you are so different. She's so famous, and popular and hot, and you're…you're just Kira."

"Thanks Conner, that totally made me feel better," she retorted wryly.

"For starters, you asked," he pointed out, before turning serious. "But, look, what I meant was that Kylee…she's so famous and popular and hot because she's sort of this unreachable person. She's all media and money, and acts it up for the crowd but you, you Kira, are probably the nicest, most sincere and _true_ musician I've ever heard. You sing the truth from what you think and what's in your heart, and your pour your entire world into your music."

"That's why I didn't want to believe you," he confessed, sighing. "Despite all that I said about her being hot and awesome earlier, you're so much more than that. And, I guess I didn't really wanna think about you being part of who she is, or maybe having been affected by the shallow-ness that she holds…"

"You were worried about me," she laughed a little.

"Yeah…go ahead and laugh…poke fun if you like," he groaned. "At least I got it out."

"No, no…I'm not making fun of you Conner…," she stated, placing a hand on his arm. "It's actually really sweet, even if I misunderstood your kindness. Thank you."

A small cough broke them from their moment and they looked up to see Kaylee standing near, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry to interrupt," she stated. "Uh, Kylee left, and she didn't want to bother you two, so she asked that I tell you that she's grateful you kinda broke the media spell a little and that she wishes you luck and hopes to see you again."

"Thanks Kayl," Kira nodded.

"And uh, it's time for our set," she added, her sheepish look widening before it took a turn into a teasing grin. "But uh, if you two want some more alone time…"

"That's fine!" they both chorused. Using Conner's shoulder, Kira pushed herself back to her feet and pulled Kaylee up with her. As they slung their guitar straps over their shoulders, Conner motioned to the Yellow Ranger, who leaned down so his words could only be heard by her.

"Despite things that happened today and things that were said, I'll always believe in you Kira, and I'll always listen," he told her, grinning, before he left to sit at their regular table.

She smiled as well, before moving her hair to cover her ears, which had just turned slightly pink. The Green Ranger giggled slightly, but said nothing. She'd keep her peace for now, and watch as things progressed because, who knew, maybe opposites did attract…


	7. Golden Boy

**Golden Boy.**

"C'mon guys!" Conner yelled as he and the other morphed Rangers ran to the top of the hill, watching as a large creature blasted various buildings near the city docks, Megazord-height. "It's destroying the city!"

"Well that _is_ kinda what they're supposed to do!" Kaylee pointed out. They turned as the ground shook and spotted the Brachiozord lumbering towards them as the three panels opened to let Kira, Conner and Ethan's Zords out. "Just like I'm supposed to sit and watch now."

"Aw, don't worry Kay, I'm sure your Zord will find its way through the mail soon enough," Kira smiled apologetically before they ran off towards their Zords and jumped up into them. Together, they combined to form the Thundersaurus Megazord as Kaylee watched from below.

"Man I wish I had my toys," she muttered as the Megazord was blasted by a large blue laser. Suddenly, it flashed before disappearing. "Um. Um! UM! The hell did they go!"

She looked around frantically, and regretted never having stepped foot in the Megazord just for a tour, because then she could've teleported to them. But since she didn't know where she was going, she was forced to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

"The Hell!" she yelled at the sky. "What did you guys ditch me for?!"

Suddenly, in a flash of white light and a rush of cold air, they were back. They were lightly covered in ice and as Kaylee pondered why, they destroyed the monster.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"Oh man…," Trent sighed, rushing from one end of the bar counter to the other, picking up bottles and glasses as he went. Unfortunately for the busboy, Cyberspace was _packed_ and being the only available waiter, he was stuck doing half the work with Hayley.

He grabbed a smoothie and lemonade and walked off towards the table, stopping in his tracks when Ethan found him. "Trent, I gotta go home soon. Think you can spare a few minutes for our government project?"

"I'm really sorry, Ethan," Trent sounded drained. "We just got slammed all of a sudden."

"Okay," Ethan nodded, understanding.

"Waiter! Order up! Hello!" Cassidy yelled from her table with Devin. As she continued to snap her finders and call him, Ethan chuckled.

"Heh, you do what you gotta do," Ethan patted him on the back, smirking. "I'll find something to keep me busy until you get a break."

"That'd be great," Trent nodded. "Thanks."

Ethan returned to his seat at a computer, where Kaylee had been waiting patiently, searching for stuff on the computer. "What'd he say?"

"Working, unfortunately we'll have to do what we can of the project without him for now, until he gets a break," Ethan replied.

"Okay," she nodded, shrugging. "It's cool. This is probably the first time I'm glad I don't work here. _So_ many people!"

"And if you did, I'd have to do all the work by myself," Ethan groaned. "The work of three."

"Then be glad I'm unemployed and broke," she laughed. They glanced behind them at the sound of more snapping.

"Waiter!" Cassidy continued to yell, snapping her fingers.

"You know, Cass, look, I don't think they like the whole um, clicky thing," Devin told her. "You see, my brother he's a waiter and—"

"Save it, Devin," she snapped. "Every second my decaf late sits at the counter it loses foam. And I _hate_ it when they lose foam!"

"There you go, one decaf late," Trent announced, placing the blue mug on her table.

"Thanks," she smiled. "You know, doing this government in action project has left me totally parched."

"That's nice," Trent stated before turning away. Devin tugged on his sleeve.

"Trent, I hate to be a drag but, y'know," Devin started, making motion with his hands of drinking something as he smiled.

"Oh man, your smoothie," Trent sighed. "Sorry Dev, I'll be right back."

"Thanks, Trent!" Devin nodded, and the busboy walked off to get it. Watching them, Ethan shook his head, hating to see them badger his friend. 

"She's a meanie," Kaylee muttered.

"Wanna see something cool?" Ethan whispered.

"Does it involve Miss-Click-a-lot paying for being a meanie?" Kaylee asked, hope shinning in her eyes. Ethan noticed just how cute she looked like that, and decided to look away before saying something incredibly stupid.

"Watch," he stated, typing away at his computer. He then turned and she followed his gaze to watch Cassidy and Devin at their table.

Cassidy, laptop on and working, typed away on their project and as soon as she hit the enter key, a huge scream erupted from her speakers. "AHH!" she screamed, jumping in her seat. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, be hard not too," Devin laughed. 

Kaylee burst out laughing, hugging Ethan quickly before looking at him with shinning eyes again. "Make it moo! Can it moo now?!"

He nodded, turning back to type again and willing the heat in his cheeks to go find someone else to bother. When he turned back, Cassidy was frowning at the keyboard. Trying again, she pressed another button on her computer, only to have it moo loudly.

"Oh, make it stop!" she whined.

Suddenly, their view was blocked by Hayley, and the redhead did not look pleased. "Having fun?" she inquired.

"Yeah, it's funny! It moos!" Kaylee giggled, before shutting up under the redhead's glare.

"Okay, I'm stopping," Ethan obliged.

He reversed the process, but not before he let Cassidy's computer emit one last moo when she touched a key. As his laughter died out, the door to Cyberspace opened and Anton Mercer strolled in.

Trent spotted him and walked over, frowning. "Dad? What're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd give you a ride home, you ready?" he asked.

"I don't think I can leave right now, in the middle of work."

"Look, son, I don't mean this to sound um, elitist, but don't you a managerial position would suit you better? I mean, c'mon, all this running around; slinging milkshakes...it doesn't really scream 'Mercer'."

"Dad, I like working here," Trent told him. "And besides, I'm in High School, this is what kids do.

"Well, it's not what I did. Anyway, lemme think about it and maybe we can uh, come up with a compromise we can both live with."

"Dad," Trent sighed. "I'm fine."

"I'll see you at home," Anton smiled before walking out. Trent nodded and went back to the counter, where Devin had one hand on the smoothie machine, watching intently as the contents swirled around.

"Uh, Dev?"

"Oh hey, Trent," Devin chuckled a bit. "Look I uh, just figured I'd make my own…is that okay?"

"Why not," Trent shrugged, smiling. As he walked off, Devin smiled happily, dropping random bits of fruit into the mixer before starting it up again. Unfortunately, he forgot to put the cap on again, so when things started mixing, they also started shooting out the top into his face.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"Thanks for giving me a ride home, Dr.O," Trent stated as he and Tommy walked out of Cyberspace later that afternoon. "Dad would've freaked if I'd gotten home late again."

"No problem," Tommy nodded. "Hey, speaking of your dad, there's something I've been wondering. All those years working with your father and uh, he never mentioned a son."

"He didn't," Trent shrugged. "Have one that is. He and my real parents worked together on a dig a few years ago. There was a cave-in; my parents never got out."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tommy sighed.

"He's been great though. He's taken me in, given me everything; y'know, a home, a life. Not a lot of people would've done that."

"Yeah," Dr. Oliver nodded as they clambered into his Jeep and buckled in.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

As they drove down the road, Tommy looked into his rear-view mirror and the calm driving face he'd adorned fell away, being replaced by a look of confusion.

"What the…?" he frowned, seeing someone running super fast behind them and catching up to the car. At first he thought it was Conner, but he knew the Red Ranger was elsewhere, and that he wouldn't dare use his powers in the open like that. "Trent look, do you see that?!"

The busboy turned around and spotted the running figure. "A big gold guy running like fifty miles an hour behind us?" he asked.

Tommy suddenly slammed his foot on the break, and the figure went smashing into the back of the car, hitting the spare tire before bouncing back a few feet to the ground. Tommy and Trent exchanged glances, before unbuckling and getting out.

"What is that thing?" Trent inquired as they walked over to examine the gold-armored person sprawled on the pavement.

"Oh man, my insurance company's never gonna buy this," Tommy sighed. Suddenly, the golden-person's fists clenched and it came straight up onto its feet.

"Which one of you is Doctor Oliver?" it questioned.

"Uh…," Trent hesitated, glancing at his teacher, who then stepped forward in front of him.

"That'd be me," he replied.

"Then prepare for your demise," it growled, lunging forward. Reacting swiftly, the science teacher pushed Trent out of the way before engaging the creature in battle.

However, it seemed the golden fighter was always a step ahead, and all hits Tommy landed on him seemed to do nothing whatsoever. His opponent grabbed his arms, twisted them and then punched him backwards to his jeep.

A pause and a fighting stance were all it applied before rushing forward again to attack. From the sidelines near the Jeep, Trent watched in awe and confusion as his science teacher unleashed some major karate-move mojo on the golden dude.

He hid behind the tire as Tommy was flung onto the shoulder of the road, and he got up to crawl to the front of his Jeep where he knew Trent couldn't see him. "Time to call for backup," he groaned, activating his Dino Gem bracelet.

"You must be destroyed," the golden figure stated as he towered above him. Tommy was tired out from the fight already, and didn't have the energy to stand up and fight yet. So as his enemy raised his laser arm and pointed, Trent was on the rescue as he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the golden fighter's neck and throwing him to the ground.

For a busboy he wasn't bad, as he got up to stand defensively in front of Tommy. "No, Trent, stay back," his teacher told him, getting to his feet.

"I can help!" he insisted as he ran forward to meet the golden fighter in battle. Those karate and self-defense lessons growing up had apparently stuck with him all these years as he launched into the fight – whether it affected the golden man or not.

Despite this, he was thrown onto the pavement moments later, getting up to fight and return to the pavement a second time. Now both he and Tommy could take no more as they leaned against the Jeep's wheels, watching as Goldenrod walked towards them.

Suddenly, four laser beams shot out from somewhere, bringing Goldenrod to his knees and then to the ground. As the two looked down the road, they witness the Power Rangers coming up over the hill on their Raptor Cycles.

All four skidded to a stop and dismounted, running over.

"Are you okay?" Kaylee asked as they passed Doctor Oliver, who nodded and they went on.

"Trent, are you alright?" Kira inquired worriedly, seeing the busboy sitting at the back of the Jeep, groaning in pain.

"How…how do you know my name?" he frowned.

"Uh…," she gasped, realizing she was in uniform and wasn't Kira Ford at the moment.

As Ethan and Kaylee began a tag-team assault on Goldenrod, Conner noticed her and came over, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Yellow, we gotta go," he stated.

"Right, coming!" she nodded, letting him help pull her to her feet before they rushed off to the other two. They had managed to get the golden fighter to his knees again, just as Zeltrax teleported in on a purple flash.

"I was wondering when he'd show up!" Ethan groaned.

"You," he barked, looking behind him. "Return with me at once."

"But father," Goldenrod protested. "I haven't completed my mission."

"Goldenrod, do as your told," Zeltrax growled.

"Yes father," he nodded and they were gone in a flash of purple electricity.

"Father?" Conner frowned. "Did he just call him father?"

"I think so," Kira nodded.

"Ewwwwwww!" Kaylee cringed. "Emo Barbie and Ken love-child! Gross!"

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Anton Mercer sat at his desk, slicing a letter open with a knife.

"Hey," Trent called as he walked into the room, causing his father to look up.

"You're home late," Mercer stated.

"Yeah, Doctor Oliver gave me a ride," he replied, dropping his bag to the floor and sitting down in one of the chairs. "Had a little car trouble."

"I see," his father was looking at the letter he'd just opened, half-listening.

"Hey dad, how come you and he don't hang out anymore? I mean, I thought you guys were good friends."

"Trent you'll find that as you grow up, different people come in and out of your life. Doctor Oliver and I had our time and now we've, both moved on to different things."

"I see," Trent nodded, almost mimicking his father's half-listening tone from earlier.

"Now speaking of moving on, I think I've found a solution to your dilemma."

"My dilemma?" Trent inquired, confused.

"Yeah, the Cybercafé," his father replied, looking up at him and straightening his tie. "I've decided to buy it."

"What?!"

"Simple thank you would be just fine," his father stated, proud of himself.

"Dad why'd you…I mean…how?"

"Well it seems the café is on land-lease from the city," Mercer explained. "So however owns the land gets to decide what goes there and, now I own the land."

He tossed the papers from the letter across the table, within Trent's reach. He picked them up, reading them over and shaking his head. "But what about Hayley?" he asked. "She's my boss? My friend?"

"She's your friend, yes, boss…definitely not," his father replied. "That will soon be – you."

"I don't wanna run the Cybercafé. I mean, I barely have enough time to work there now between my drawing and school."

"Trent…," his father sighed. "I might be imagining things but you sound amazingly ungrateful."

"This isn't what I want!" Trent exclaimed. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Of course it does, okay? I've already factored that into my decision and in the end I've decided it's what's best for you," Anton stated. "It's what's best for us, as a family."

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Kira shook her head, smirking slightly with laughter as she regarded the scene before her. 

Sprawled out on his bed amidst a see of red comforter and school textbooks was Conner, his face smooshed against his small red soccer ball. He was snoring softly and she bet that if she left him a bit longer, he might start to drool.

"I leave him alone for five minutes," she smiled, looking at the soda cans in her hands that she'd been sent to retrieve because Mr. Soccer-Star had been too lazy. In his own house. To serve his project partner and house guest.

Not that she'd expected any different mind you. Oh well, that meant it was time for a little payback for that nice drawing of a mustache and unibrow she'd been given for falling asleep late last night when they attempted working on their project.

She placed the sodas on his desk, then moved the textbooks away from him and went off to the kitchen in search of a can of whipped cream and some pepper.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"I don't believe it!" Hayley cried, slamming papers onto the counter in front of Ethan, Kaylee and Tommy, she sighed heavily.

"Junk mail?" Tommy inquired.

"I wish," she groaned, pointing at the papers. "Check this out."

Tommy obliged and picked them up to read, as Ethan frowned.

"What's it say?" he asked.

"My Zord's not coming, is it?" Kaylee sniffed. "It's been caught up at the postage office."

"A letter from the city. Seems as of tomorrow I have a new landlord," Hayley replied.

"Not just any landlord," Tommy stated, reading the papers. "Anton Mercer."

"Ouch," Kaylee cringed.

"He's gonna rebuild the whole café," Hayley sighed. "And he's going to replace me!"

"With who?" Ethan frowned. Hayley looked up to where Trent stood, and Tommy, Kaylee and Ethan's gazes followed to rest on the busboy.

"So you've heard," Trent sighed in defeat.

"So what's the deal, man?" Ethan asked. "One rough day at the office so your rich daddy buys it for you?"

"No!" Trent cried, walking over. "It's not like that. I had nothing to do with it."

"Now I'm slightly glad I'm not a waitress here," Kaylee whispered to Ethan, who shushed her.

"Look I got a friend at city hall, maybe we could check out the deal and see if Mercer missed something," Tommy offered, unaware that nosy Cassidy Cornell was listening.

"I've known my dad long enough to know he doesn't make mistakes," Trent groaned.

"I've known your dad long enough to know he does," Tommy stated reassuringly, as he stood up and looked at the blue-clad computer boy. "Ethan, Kaylee, c'mon."

"Wait, I'm going with you. This is because of me. I'll go whatever it takes to fix this," he promised, looking up at Hayley. The redhead nodded.

"City Hall here we come," Kaylee pouted, getting up and they went to follow Dr.O.

"Did you hear that?" Cassidy stated excitedly, a few feet away with Devin.

"Yeah…I mean, it really makes you feel like going out there and… fighting for what's right," Devin nodded proudly, making Cassidy frown.

"Huh?"

"Oh right! The report! Yeah, yeah we should probably get it done first."

"Yeah this is perfect!" she stated matter-of-factly. "It's got government, it's got action. Only thing is…what do you wear to City Hall? I mean…is it dressy?"

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Placing the pepper-shaker on the counter beside her, Kira bent over to examine the fridge's contents. She was so concentrated on looking through it that she didn't hear the front door open nor the 'I'm home!' that followed. She scanned the shelves with her eyes. "C'mon, this is Conner's house. How is there not whipped cream in the fridge?"

"There is, he just hides it at the back of the veggie drawer so no one finds his precious stuff," a voice that sounded awfully like Conner told her. "Since he doesn't usually like that drawer, no one expects him to go in it."

Kira frowned, wondering why Conner was speaking in the third person and subtly insulting himself. She looked up over the fridge door and found a guy leaning against the kitchen doorframe, watching her intently.

She would've called him Conner were it not for his hair being shorter and slightly darker than that of the Red Ranger. "I'm…seeing double?"

"I'm Eric, Conner's twin brother," he told her, smiling charmingly as he held out his hand to her.

"That would explain it," she chuckled, shaking his hand. "I'm Kira, Conner's partner."

"Ah, seems my brother's finally found himself a girlfriend whose cool and has style, not airheaded and shallow," Eric laughed, looking her up and down, and Kira's cheeks burned red.

"What? No!!" she shook her head. "I meant partner for school! As in for a project!"

"Uh-huh," Eric smirked, and Kira realized that he too held that infuriating and cocky smirk Conner always gave her. "And you're looking for whipped cream…"

He trailed off, letting her realize how odd this was. Her cheeks worsened. "Oh," she said lamely, before finding the whipped cream and grabbing Eric's arm, dragging him towards Conner's room. Once they arrived, she stood in the doorway and pointed towards the sleeping Conner.

"Ohh," Eric realized, before another smirk adorned his features. "Not bad."

"Would you like the honors then, arriving home from the Academy after what I expect was a long run?" Kira inquired, smiling when a flash of astonishment came over his face.

"He told you?" Eric whined. "Aw man! He's not supposed to tell anybody! _I'm_ not supposed to tell anybody!"

"He didn't," Kira smiled. "Your Sensei and his girlfriend did."

"Huh?" the McKnight twin frowned. "Dustin? And Kaylee? How do…"

"We go to school with Kaylee. She's one of our friends, and probably my best friend," Kira grinned widely. "Dustin visits her every now and then."

"Whoa," his eyes widened as the news sunk in and Kira walked over to set up her prank. "Small world huh?"

"Looks like," she nodded, handing the whipped cream can to Eric after placing a fair amount on Conner's open palm. She then proceeded in tapping the pepper shaker and watching as small flakes fluttered onto Conner's already twitching nose.

It took him no time before he came to scratch his nose, and with it he brought a handful of whipped cream that crashed onto his features, cascading down his face and jolting him awake in the process.

"What the…!" he groaned, sitting up and spitting whipped cream out his mouth as he looked around. He squinted through the veil of white and noticed his twin, holding the can, and Kira standing behind him. "ERIC!"

"What?" his twin frowned, looking down at the can in his hands. He then tossed it aside and threw up his hands in defense. "No! I didn't do it! I just got home! She did it! It was all her!"

Conner's squinted gaze came to rest of the musician, who smiled innocently. "Why would _I_ do such a thing, Conner?" she asked.

"Payback," he retorted. "I drew on your face yesterday, remember?"

"I remember quite well," she stated wryly.

"So you admit it was for payback," he grinned, getting to his feet and removing most of the whipped cream from his face, cupping it in his hands.

"No…," Kira stated, taking a wary step back as he advanced. She realized his ploy and shook her head vigorously. "No, Conner. Your brother just got here; don't you think you should spend time with him?"

"I'll have plenty of time for that once we match," he grinned mischievously, before taking off after her, whipped cream ready in each hand.

"Conner, stop it! You're being ridiculous!" Kira cried, keeping the living room couch between them at all times. They circled it repeatedly, barely aware that Eric was standing in the doorway with something in hand. "We've got a project to work on and you've got family visiting!"

"You might've wanted to think about that before making me a life-size version of the cherry on pie," he smirked. Getting closer to the hall, he noticed Kira's hesitation and thoughts about running for it, and took this opportunity to lunge forward, grab her and fall onto the couch, pressing all the whipped cream he could onto her face and hair.

"Conner!" she exclaimed, and although she sounded annoyed, there was a light and amused tone of laughter to her yell. "You are _so_ dead!"

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

As Tommy pulled to a stop he and the three teens got out of the Jeep. "Man I hope there's something we can do," Trent sighed.

"Me too," Tommy nodded as a woman in a plaid red dress came up. "Doctor Oliver, my office said you were coming down."

"Councilwoman Sanchez," he nodded, shaking her hand. "Thanks for taking the time."

She nodded as well as smiled, just as Zeltrax and Goldenrod teleported in through purple electricity. She noticed them and screamed, hiding behind the three boys and Kaylee as they adopted fighting stances.

"There!" Zeltrax growled.

"I see them," Goldenrod nodded, before sending a bright gold laser their way. They yelled and Trent jumped out of the way, pulling Sanchez with him as Tommy, Kaylee and Ethan flipped backwards out of the laser's path. "I will make you proud, father."

He blasted another laser beam that nearly hit Ethan, Kaylee and Tommy, but Ethan was able to deflect it subtly with his invulnerability powers.

"Trent!" Tommy yelled. "Take Councilwoman Sanchez where it's safe!"

"Got it," he nodded, before pulling the frightened woman along and away from the fight.

"Yoo-hoo!" Cassidy yelled as she and Devin stepped onto the scene. "Council lady! Cassidy Cornell! We were here first!"

"Oh no, not them," Kaylee groaned.

"Intruders!" Goldenrod growled, and both Devin and Cassidy turned around, gasping as they spotted the two creatures. The golden-armored figure sent a laser beam their way and Cassidy screamed as it hit at their feet, sending them flying into the bushes beside the sidewalk.

"This is why I hate politics!" she whined. "Let's get outta here!"

Devin nodded and they grabbed their things, running off. Tommy and Ethan were in fighting stance by then, and rushed forward to meet Goldenrod in battle. Kaylee however, hung back a moment and pressed a button on her Dino Gem bracelet.

"Guys, City Hall. Trouble. Now," she spoke into it before going off to aid her teammates.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"This is safe," Trent announced, feeling they were far enough away. He made sure no monsters had followed and the Councilwoman sat down on a bench.

"Thank you so much!" she told him. "If there's ever anything I can do for you."

"Actually," he began. "I'd like to speak to you about Hayley's Cyberspace."

"Alright," she nodded, and he sat down with her.

"My father, Anton Mercer, he's making a terrible mistake…"

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"That stuff is disgusting," Kira muttered as she and Conner stood in the bathroom at the McKnight house, using the tap's lukewarm water to scrub and brush Whipped Cream out of their hair and wash their faces and hands clean of it.

"You started it," he snickered.

"As payback for the face-drawings, didn't mean you had to continue it_again_," she stated, giving up on scrubbing the dry and sticky feeling out of a small tip of a cluster of hairs.

"Course he did, its part of who he is," Eric laughed, appearing in the doorway behind them. "Y'know, I'm really glad I decided to head home early. Because who knows what would've happened if I'd come later in the afternoon like I'd planned. Whipped cream, empty house, hormonal couple, ugh, just the thought's gonna scar me."

"Dude!" Conner yelled, leaning back to whack his brother upside the head. Kira merely took it upon herself to glare at both brothers as she washed some of her shirt clean where the stuff had been dropped. "We're just two friends, working on a project. What's wrong with you, man? I don't remember you having such a couple-orientated brain when you left."

"Or a disgustingly imaginative one," Kira added.

"Hey, I just call things like I see it," he shrugged.

"Yeah, well you need glasses," the Yellow Ranger muttered and Conner glanced at her for a moment, before shaking his head and grabbing a towel to dry his hair. He opened his mouth to say something to his brother, but both his and Kira's Dino Gem bracelets went off.

"_Guys, fighting. City Hall. Now,_" Kaylee's voice came in over the communicators and both teens were quick enough to slap their hands down on the speakers so as to muffle anything after the first two words.

"What was that?" Eric frowned. 

"Project-stuff," Kira grinned.

"A friend of ours is at the library. Must need help," Conner added sheepishly. "Sorry bro, catch up later?"

"Yeah, cool," Eric nodded and the two brothers exchanged a salute before the Red Ranger grabbed Kira away from her fussing towel-drying and dragged her out the front door, waving as it closed behind him. 

"I_so_ don't need glasses," Eric said to himself, as though proud.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Despite their tag-team efforts, it seemed Goldenrod was a bit much for Tommy and Ethan as they were thrown backwards a few feet. Kaylee stepped in then, taking on the golden fighter for a few moments before she too was throw back to the pavement.

"Your son got a lot stronger," Tommy growled.

"Yeah, you been feeding him steroids with his carrots or something?" Kaylee muttered.

"They grow up so fast," Zeltrax mused. "Don't they?"

At that instant, Kira and Conner arrived, skidding a stop beside their friends. "We got Kaylee's message about fighting City Hall," Conner stated.

"They musta meant fight in front of it," Kira pointed out.

"You guys ready?" Tommy inquired, and they all nodded, brining their wrists up to their chests.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

Their Ranger suits molded to their bodies and their battle cries rang out once they were morphed. "Tyrannodrones! Attack!" Zeltrax yelled, and a handful of creatures teleported in through a flurry of purple lightning. "Destroy them!"

Goldenrod led the attack and the Rangers dispersed among the creatures with their Thundermax Sabers in hand, battling away. Fighting side-by-side, Conner and Kira took out a large number of Tyrannodrones before Kira was slashed across the back by Goldenrod's sword.

She cried out in pain and slumped forward, and Conner turned in time to catch her. "Kira!"

"I'm okay…," Kira stated, using his arms to help her up before she faltered and slumped forward again. He slowly helped her into a sitting position up against a tree. "Okay…maybe not."

"Red Ranger!" Goldenrod yelled, and Conner looked up towards the fighter. "Meet me in a challenge, or your beloved Yellow Ranger perishes!"

"For starters, she's not my 'beloved' anything!" Conner cried, getting to his feet and standing protectively in front of the wounded Kira. "And secondly, just _try_ getting to her, because there's no way you're hurting her again."

"So be it," Goldenrod stated, and the sound of his voice implied a smirk. He rushed forward, swinging his sword down in a motion meant to crash into Conner's head, if the Red Ranger had not brought his Thundermax Saber up to block.

He leant back, slashing his opponent's sword out of the way before roundhouse kicking him in the head. Goldenrod faltered, but didn't fall, and retaliated, kicking Conner in the stomach. It sent him stumbling backwards before back-flipping away from him.

Ducking under the swipe of Goldenrod as he rushed him again, Conner jumped to his feet, launching himself at his opponent and slashing him across the chest. Both the Red Ranger and Zeltrax's creation jumped at one another, weapons slashing and coming together.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Kaylee stood in a circle of Tyrannodrones, swinging her leg out as far as she could and catching numerous opponents off-guard, kicking them backwards. She summoned her Spino Whip and took on the first wave, cracking the weapon against the ground and sending small shockwaves that made the drones stumble.

She then used the thick handle to block a foot soldier's attack, and then twirled sideways, kicking a few more away from her. When she landed, the two creatures behind her grabbed onto her arms, erasing the use of her whip. However, she jumped up, kicking two advancing monsters in the chest and using that as leverage to twirl backwards and over her captors.

The twist in movement caused them to let her go, and she slashed them in the back, creating a shower of sparks.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"Hey Zeltrax," Tommy began in a taunting tone as his Brachio Staff and Zeltrax's sword locked together. "Sending your son to do what you couldn't?"

"I will take you myself," Zeltrax growled, before glancing down the way to where Conner and Goldenrod were locked in their own fight. He twisted out of Tommy's grip, and kicked him in the back, pushing him away. "Goldenrod! Attack the city!"

"Yes, father!" Goldenrod nodded, gaining new energy in his fight with Conner, which was enough to slash the Red Ranger across the chest and kick him, sending him hurtling backwards, where he landed on the pavement beside Kira.

Goldenrod raised his sword into the air and cried out fiercely before turning into a small golden orb that flew off through the air. Suddenly, a little ways away, over the building, they spotted Goldenrod towering high above them – Megazord size.

"I'm larger than life!" he yelled.

"Whoa…," Kaylee breathed as she and Ethan were left alone by the Tyrannodrones, and were able to rejoin their teammates.

"You alright?" Conner asked Kira, and after pushing himself to his feet, he helped her up. She winced against the pain in her back, hissing through her teeth.

"Sore-ish, but I'm okay," she nodded. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime," he grinned and was glad they were morphed because he was pretty sure he was grinning like a big dork.

"Are you guys ready to go and fight Mr. Sunshine, or do you still need a few more moments of cuteness?" Kaylee teased, before Kira raised her arm and the Green Ranger ducked behind Ethan. "Don't hit me! I don't need to be hit this time!"

"I'm gonna rock this city!" Goldenrod exclaimed from high above, making the Rangers realize a task was still at hand.

"That's our cue," Tommy announced, talking into his morpher. "Brachio, do your thing!"

Suddenly the ground shook as the huge and towering Black Dinozord stomped through the city. It stopped into a clearing and panels opened as the Red, Yellow and Blue Dinozords came out, ready for battle.

"Dino Rangers, Go!" Conner called and he, Kira and Ethan jumped up and into their Zords.

"Here we go again," Kaylee sighed.

_**ZWOP!**_

When she got back, she had her faithful Zord toy backpack in hand and found herself a nice comfy bench to hide behind and play with her toys. She mimicked the fight going on near her, making a pile with Tweety, Barbie and the small Papier-Machier computer that was meant to be the Megazord. Tweety was one arm, Barbie was in the middle and the computer served as a backbone.

"And now for the final touch," she grinned putting the Spinosaurus toy as the other arm, its spikes sticking out. "There, the Thundersaurus Megazord, but way cooler than the real one!"

After using the solider as Goldenrod, Kaylee played out the battle, unaware as her friends were almost defeated and that Tommy, small as he was compared to Goldenrod, had used his Brachio Staff to destroy him. 

It was only when Zeltrax fell to his knees in despair that she stopped playing, packing things up, and paid attention. "Is he groveling? Did someone become royalty?" she asked, looking at Tommy. "Oh, is it me?!"

"He was the only family I've ever known," Zeltrax stated in despair. "I'll have my revenge upon you Doctor Oliver!"

"Oh, he's swearing vengeance," Kaylee pouted. "Never mind."

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"Dad, we need to talk," Trent stated as he walked into his father's office. "You're not gonna be happy but…"

He trailed off, seeing his father wasn't around. It was a glow of purple that caught his eye and he turned, walking to another part of the office to find a mass of swirling purple electricity. Confused and puzzled as to what it was, he reached out towards it.

Suddenly, he was jolted forward through the portal.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

Anton Mercer walked into Cyberspace, followed by a bunch of agents and contractors. "Okay," he began, looking around and pointing to his right. "Let's uh, get these walls torn out. We can save the computers."

"Hang on," Hayley stated, glaring. "You don't own it yet."

"Hayley," Anton sighed. "Y'know as much as I hate to say this, sometimes you really can fight against City Hall."

"I wouldn't so sure of that Doctor Mercer," Councilwoman Sanchez stated, and Anton took a deep breath. "My name is Eleanor Sanchez, Councilwoman for the thirty-third district. It is with great pleasure, I inform you that the city council has ordered to put your purchase of this land on-hold."

"You're a part of this?" Anton growled as Tommy stepped into view.

"No, you have your son to thank," Eleanor smiled. "He made me realize that a place like this is a safe-haven for learning and interaction for the Youth of our community is something that shouldn't be disturbed or taken away."

As she spoke, Kira, Kaylee, Conner and Ethan as well as a band of other teenagers and regulars to Cyberspace joined her, standing up for what they believed in.

"I was only trying to do what's best for my son," Anton stated. "Well, I'll just be going then."

And with that he was off, taking his people with him. As the doors closed behind them, everyone burst into cheers and applause.

"Friday sets continue!" Kaylee exclaimed happily, high-fiving Kira, who was equally happy. With huge smiles on their faces, the girls hugged the guys, both of which exchanged glances, turning slightly pink.

"Are you…?" Ethan trailed off as Conner glared at him, a look that spoke volumes of hurt that the Blue Ranger would endure if he spoke of Conner's current complexion color.

xX-Golden-Boy-Xx

"Bring the car back," Anton spoke on his phone. "There's been a change of plans."

As he and his men walked off, Trent teleported in through the purple haze, looking around and wondering how he'd wound up here. He watched as his father walked off and his confusion broke when Devin stuck his head out of Cyberspace, calling him.

"Dude, c'mon, get in here!" Devin grinned, before disappearing inside.

"Be right there," Trent nodded, watching his father angrily tip a chair before walking on.

* * *

Alright, so from my reviews I see that you guys have all picked up on the Kira/Conner moments I've added that were in no way (or perhaps on small scale) in the actual Dino Thunder episodes. Well, that's because I'm going where the series didn't. They had chemistry, that was obvious, but nothing came of it. Same with Trent and Kira. Well, look forward to more, because as my series progresses, things change more so often from the true scripts, as things twist to my storyline.

Oh, and Kaylee's Zord? Stick around for the next chaper maybe. ;)

Also, Dustin'll visit at some point, don't worry. 


	8. Beneath the Surface

**Beneath the Surface.**

"Oh no you didn't!" Ethan exclaimed, various beeps and sounds coming his computer as he furiously typed away, deeply immersed in a game of SNSW (Super Ninja Space Wars).

"Eat laser you intergalactic freak!" Kaylee chimed in, laughing up a storm as she watched Ethan be a pro gamer.

From the table behind them, Conner groaned and rolled his eyes, exchanging looks with an equally annoyed Kira. They were attempting to work on their government project, but it was progressing slowly because they were having trouble concentrating with the video game noises.

Finally sick of it, Conner turned his gaze to the video gamers. "Dudes, do you mind?"

"Made it to level twelve!" Ethan cried.

"Five more levels to go!" Kaylee giggled.

Rolling his eyes again, Conner reached over between the two and pressed the power button, effectively shutting down their fun. "What're you doing?" Ethan exclaimed, turning to look at the Red Ranger.

"You turned it off! But it was so cool! He was fighting monkey aliens!" Kaylee whined.

"I can't concentrate with you two blowing up things in my ear!"

"It took me…three hours…to get to that level…," Ethan breathed sadly.

"Awe, it's okay," Kaylee sighed, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder.

"I'm with Conner on this one," Kira nodded. "Our government paper is due tomorrow…and why aren't you two working on yours?"

"We finished it last week," Kaylee smiled. "Y'know, during the whole City Hall thing."

"Yeah, me, Kaylee and Trent jammed it all while you two were out being David Beckham and—" Ethan was cut short by a horrible death glare.

"Oh, don't even say it!" Kira snapped.

"I wasn't going to," he told her.

"But I will!" Kaylee smiled. "David and Victoria Beckham-OW!"

She glanced down on the floor behind her, seeing the Kleenex box that had been thrown at the back of her head by an angry Yellow Ranger.

"Where's Trent anyway?" Kira asked, looking around. "I thought he was working today."

"Hayley gave him the day off," Conner muttered, his mood seemed to have gone a bit sour. "I think he's spending more quality time with his dad."

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"I know I'm not losing my mind," Trent stated, looking up at the air in his father's office where he'd found the invisiportal no more than a week ago. "It was right around here."

"Trent?" he was broken from his thoughts at his father's voice, and looked to the door, where Anton Mercer stood. "Can I help you with something?"

"There's some weird stuff going on around here, dad," Trent stated. "I swear I went through some sort of inter-dimensional doorway."

"Hmm…you know I've gotta say I'm worried about you, son. You're working till all hours at this coffee house, obviously, you're not thinking straight," he walked over towards his desk. "I'm gonna make an appointment with my doctor."

"I don't need a doctor! I need an explanation! I think you owe that to me."

"Perhaps you can explain something to me. When did it become acceptable to speak to that way to your father?"

"All these other projects you're involved in, there's some weird stuff going on here, dad," Trent stated, still searching for the portal.

"Whatever goes on around here I can assure you; it's for the betterment of mankind. I promise you'll feel the same way. In time."

"In time?" Trent asked, turning around. "When?"

"When you're ready," his father stated. "Someday…all I have will belong to you."

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Alright students, there's only so much you can learn in a classroom," Tommy stated as his students began packing their things and getting up from their seats. "It's time for some fieldwork."

"Oh! Cool, real Dinos!" Kaylee grinned as she and Kira walked towards the door. "Well, y'know, as real as dead Dinos can get. Oh! Oh! Maybe we'll find some Spinosaurus bones!"

"I'm hoping to find something a little more airborne," Kira smiled.

"Really, cuz I thought you might wanna spend a little more time discovering the T-Rex side of life," Kaylee prodded, earning herself a glare. "Right. Shutting up now."

"Doctor Oliver, may we have permission to film today's dig for journalism class?" Cassidy inquired, coming up to the front of the class. "I think it'll be good for my career if I start focusing on more thing exciting things like nature and science."

"Hey Cass, I uh, thought you said this stuff was as dull as dirt?" Devin frowned.

"Uh, actually I think I was talking about our last conversation, Devin," Cassidy snapped.

"Relax, Cassidy, you can film the dig," Tommy chuckled. As the rest of the students left the classroom, he packed his things and turned to follow, only to find Principal Randall, who was dressed in archeology equipment.

"Doctor Oliver," she stated.

"Principal Randall, are you in a play?" Tommy questioned.

"No…I'm here to join you on your field trip," she grinned, proud of herself.

"I didn't know you were interested in Dinosaur bones."

"You'd be surprised in what interests me."

"Yeah…I probably would."

"Shall we?"

"Yeah, the bus is right outside."

"You can dazzle me with fascinating fossil facts on the way," she smiled before walking off.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Hey you guys, over here!" Kaylee called as she clawed her way through dirt in her little whole. Ethan, who was closest, rushed over to help her. Conner and Kira came to crouch with them as Kaylee dusted dirt of a silvery object with glowing green lights.

"What is it?" Conner asked.

"It looks like an egg," Kira stated as Ethan pulled it free of the earth and examined it.

"And it's got _green_ lights!" he grinned, looking at Kaylee, who had perked up.

"We should get Dr. O," Conner suggested and he nudged Kira, who groaned and got up.

Not actually wanting to go see Tommy when Randall was around, she hesitated as she crept up, but knew they needed him. "Dr. Oliver, we need some help identifying something. We think it might be a…," she paused, quickly thinking of something he'd relate to Zords. "_Morph_asaurus."

"Sure, I'll be right there," he nodded. "Excuse me."

As Randall glared after him, he followed Kira to the spot where Kaylee and the guys were crouched, huddling around the egg. "What've you got?"

"Well, we think it might be a Dinozord egg," Ethan declared, passing it to his teacher as they stood up. "Here."

"And it's got _Green_!" Kaylee chimed in excitedly.

"Ouuuu," Randall smiled, walking up to them. "A discovery! How exciting!"

"Uh no, um," Tommy hesitated. "We're not sure what it is."

"It looks like a prehistoric egg," Randall snapped, before turning softer. "May I?"

"Well uh…," Tommy exchanged glances with the other Rangers, unsure.

"Don't worry, I won't drop it," she smiled. Reluctantly, he passed it to her.

"I should really take that back to the school lab to examine it," he told her.

"But of course," she nodded, holding it out. Suddenly, screams went out around the camp as did the familiar hiss of the Tyrannodrones. They looked around at their fleeing classmates before Tommy nodded and they ran off in different directions.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

Conner stood out on the middle of a plank that had been laid down across a trench. On both sides Tyrannodrones filed on, trying to attack him and knock him over. Dodging attacks and throwing punches of his own, he kept his balance as best he could.

After pushing a Tyrannodrone into the pit, he flipped backwards off the plank and landed in the trench, where he kicked two monsters in the gut as they tried to jump down to attack him. A roar erupted behind him and he turned to find its source, only to have a huge drone leap off the plank behind him, intent upon taking off his head with its sharp arm.

As he kicked the monster away and turned to meet his fate, a flash of yellow invaded his senses and it was knocked away before it could hit him. Kira landed before him, smiling.

"Your head not on your shoulders today?" she smirked teasingly.

"Guess not," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks."

"Anytime," she nodded, their places reversed from the last time he'd saved her.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

Cart-wheeling into a monster, Kaylee kicked a Tyrannodrone in the face before landing on her feet and dodging a bunch of hits and blocking a few more. Eventually, she punched a creature that wound up in a wheel barrow.

Running towards the monster stuck in the wheel barrow, she stepped up onto it and ran forward, using it as leverage to jump through the air and out of the circle of Tyrannodrones.

"Ha, and Kira thinks _she_ can fly!" Kaylee grinned as she went soaring, kicking a creature in the face repeatedly. She landed and back-flipped, hitting it once again in order to knock it to its knees, crying out.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

As more monsters surrounded them, Conner and Kira back-flipped out of the trench, with the added help of the plank for leverage. Landing on solid ground they fought back-to-back against a horde of Tyrannodrones.

Conner's arms snaked backwards, wrapping around Kira's arms before she kicked off, flipping onto his back as he used her to spin and kick a bunch of foot soldiers. She then flipped all the way back down, landing in front of him.

"Good thing you've got your head on your shoulders now," she teased.

"Good thing for you," he added, before they were thrown right back into the battle.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

Ethan turned from the opponent he'd just knocked down, to the foot soldier standing on the plank. Grinning, he swept his arm out, taking the creature off guard as it fell into the muddy pit below.

As he turned, he saw Kaylee be tossed into the trench with him, where she landed and cried out in pain. He rushed over, helping her up, before returning to action. Kaylee kicked the nearest monster in the gut, back-flipping over Ethan as he struck out a punch, flooring the monster.

They exchanged glances before jumping up and out of the pit. They blocked two oncoming attacks, before simultaneously kicking the creatures backwards, into the pit they'd come from. A monster grabbed Kaylee from behind, and she twirled so it came within Ethan's reach, where he ripped it away from her, throwing it towards a plank in the pit. It hit it square in the middle and broke it away, falling farther downwards.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

As the Rangers rejoined Dr.O and Randall, the semi-happy look she'd had a moment ago vanished, replaced by that of fury. "Care to explain to me how you four learned to fight like that?" she snapped, looking at the four teens.

"Uh…karate club," Conner stated before he and the other ran off, getting the heck away from their creepy and overly angry principal.

"Do we have one of those?" Randall inquired, looking at Tommy.

"I dunno, I'm still new here," Tommy shrugged, before walking off as well.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"So what's up?" Kira asked as Ethan scanned the Dino egg with some device. "You got anything?"

"I don't know," Ethan shrugged. "Something's not right. I can't detect any signs of life."

"That's weird," Tommy commented. "I'm sure that's a Spinozord egg."

"Spinozord?" Conner frowned, causing Kaylee's eyes to widen.

"As in Spinosaurus?!" she squeaked happily, clapping her hands together. "As in, MY dino?! MY Dinozord?! Finally! I have one new message. Message received: ZORD!"

"That would explain why the Tyrannodrones want it," Kira pointed out, but nothing could dull the happiness of the Green Ranger.

"Yeah…," Tommy nodded.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"The things I do…," Randall sighed, walking through the empty dig site. "Now where's that egg?" She grinned once she spotted it, and walked over, uncovering it from the dirt. Staring down at the egg with malicious intent, she transformed in a flash of purple, adopting the persona she preferred – Elsa.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"This is weird," Tommy stated, turning around on his computer chair to regard the four teens, who were still trying to scan something from the egg. "I'm still getting a heat signal from the dig site. It's odd."

"How? The egg's not even there anymore," Kira pointed out.

"Maybe there's another one," Ethan suggested.

"Oh! Do I get another?!" Kaylee giggled hopefully.

"I better go check it out, you guys stay here and keep analyzing this one," Tommy stated, getting up and leaving.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Oh what a prize: my very own Dinozord," Elsa smiled, raising a small device to point at the egg that lay on the ground before her. She aimed a large purple electrical beam at it. "Rise up. Rise up my beauty and take form."

The egg suddenly cracked in two, and the creature inside roared as it grew larger and larger, until it was regular Zord size. It almost resembled Conner's T-Rex, mostly for the head and body, although it remained on all fours rather than on its hind legs. Along its back was a large saw-like piece that no doubt represented the spinal fin from the actual Dinosaur.

And above all else – it was Green.

As it roared loudly again, Elsa grinned. "Now go, and destroy!"

The Spinozord obliged, running off through the forest, destroying tree and forest in its wake.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Guys, I really don't there's a Dinozord in here," Ethan sighed, still getting no readings on the egg. And its coloring had died out as well.

The Ranger Base computer went off, and a screen opened up with the image of a Green Zord rampaging through the forest.

"Well, there's one," Conner stated.

"Thanks for the obvious," Kira laughed. "But uh, how?"

"Can we open it?" Kaylee asked, uncertain if she really wanted to find out. She glanced at the Zord onscreen and gulped, realizing it looked a lot like the Spinosaurus she represented.

Carefully, Ethan lifted the machine that held the top part of the egg, and it slowly opened with a flash of light emanating from within. There was however, nothing inside of it.

Kaylee frowned, then looked sad, and then looked mad as a small holographic image of Elsa appeared. "Not what you expected, is it Rangers?" she cackled maniacally but she didn't get very far into her taunting before a fist came crashing down, obliterating the remains of the fake egg and the holographic image.

"Ow," Kaylee cursed, flexing her hand as anger clearly radiated off of her in waves. "Stupid crazily laughing woman."

"Man that's messed up," Ethan commented. "How'd she do that?"

"I dunno, but I do know that she is beyond dead!" Kaylee yelled. "_Nobody_ steals my Zord after it _finally_ gets un-lost from the mail!"

The Ranger Base screen beeped again and they looked up to see the Spinozord flipping onto it's front legs and using it's spinal fin to tear through small buildings as it began to spin.

"Better get the Zords," Conner stated. "It's attacking little Tokyo! C'mon!"

"Wherever my Zord is, Elsa's sure to be," Kaylee grinned, cracking her knuckles. They backed up, standing together and raising their wrists to their chests. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!" they cried, and were soon morphed.

"TYRANNO!"

"PTERA!"

"SPINO!"

"TRICERA!"

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"There it is!" Ethan cried as they arrived beneath the towering Green Zord. It ran past them, crashing through trees as it ran towards the Tricera, Tyranno and Ptera Zords that had just arrived. It reached the Tricerazord first, and butted heads with it, clearly unaffected by the large horns that bashed against its head.

In retaliation it chomped away, trying to bite the Tricerazord in the face. It managed to catch its nose horn a few times and sparks flew. Rearing on its hind legs, it roared, before launching itself forward – spinning spinal fin forward.

It crashed into Ethan's Zord, grinding into its head and sending sparks everywhere. As the Tricerazord fell backwards, the Pterazord flew in, scathing the sides of the spinal saw with its sharp-clawed feet.

However, the Spinozord whipped its tail upwards, hitting Kira's Zord in the face and making it falter enough for it to reach up and grab one of its wings in its mouth. It swung in around before letting it go, launching it towards the ground, where the Pterazord crashed alongside the Tricerazord.

"Brutal," Ethan sighed, and Kira nodded.

"Your Zords suck!" Kaylee laughed, and the two turned to look at her with what she figured to be glares. But since they were morphed, she couldn't tell. "Right. Shutting up now."

The Tyrannozord was at it at the moment, snapping its jaws powerfully as it chomped at the Spinozord's face. Angry, the latter jumped upwards, catching Conner's Zord in the bottom of the jaw with its spinal saw.

"C'mon Tyrannozord!" Conner cheered it on, and Kaylee chewed her bottom lip, a feeling of guilt washing over her.

The Tyrannozord then attempting to bite the spinal saw to stop it from spinning, but to no avail as the Spinozord reared on its hind legs, kicking off with its powerful muscles to throw itself forward – spinal saw facing Conner's Zord.

It knew the attack was coming, and took a step back, turning around as its tail began to spin wildly like a drill. It turned to connect with the saw, and sparks and electricity flew between the two as a horrible sound echoed in the forest.

Turning swiftly, it heat butted the Tyrannozord, who now could take no more as it fell over onto its side, crashing into the dirt beside the others. All three Zords were now smoking they were so exhausted and it made their Rangers worry.

The Spinozord? It roared proudly, disappearing into the earth as it dug away.

"Whoa! He's gone!" Ethan exclaimed.

"No!" Kaylee yelled sadly. "Spino, come back! You're supposed to be with us!"

Any other words disappeared as the ground began to shake. As trees fell over and were broken, a large creature that resembled a huge scorpion rose up, laughing maniacally as its sword arm flashed.

"Now what do we do?" Conner cried.

"You've gotta tame your Zord to help us!" Kira told Kaylee, who whimpered slightly.

"I can't!" she sniffled. "Not if I have no idea where it is!"

Their attention shifted back up to the towering creature, they realized the Zords were up and running again, and Conner ordered them to go after Scorpex. As they ran towards the opponent, the three Rangers glanced sympathetically at Kaylee and she nodded.

They jumped up and away, into their Zords so that they could combine and create the Thundersaurus Megazord. As Kaylee watched from below, her friends stood together on the inside of the Megazord.

"Do it, Kira!" Conner ordered and she nodded.

"Ptera Rang!" she cried and the Megazord followed suit, whipping the sharp and boomerang-like pieces of her Zord towards the enemy. He was hit in the shoulder by one, but the second was easily thrust away by his sword and returned to them.

"Aww crap," Kaylee muttered, watching as both Ethan and Conner's separate attacks. "That thing's got way too much armor. It's like a super soldier or something. They need…they need…"

Remembering that her old team had had their fair share of auxiliary Zords, Kaylee turned on her morpher communicator, signaling Doctor Oliver. "Dr.O, isn't there an auxiliary Zord that could help out? They're kinda looking down here."

"_I'm sorry Kaylee, but we've only got the Cephalazord and I doubt you're looking for a boxer_," Tommy sighed. "_They're going to need a blade...or a saw! You gotta use the Spinozord!_"

"In case you hadn't noticed Dr.O, it's kinda not here and it's kinda not ours," Kaylee groaned. "I don't really think it likes playing with us."

"_It's __**your**__ Zord Kaylee, rightfully __**yours**__. You can tame it the way the others tamed theirs the day their Zords terrorized the city. Elsa may have awoken it, but it will answer to the call of its Dino Gem, and there won't be anything she'll be able to do about it_."

"Right, now she's in for it," Kaylee nodded, grinning beneath her helmet. She took off into the forest, using her morpher to scout for energy readings and in no time, she found Mesogog's right hand woman standing on a hill that overlooked the battle.

"You are under my control!" she shouted, as the Spinozord leapt from it's underground passage, soaring up into the air and blasting past the Megazord, tearing at one of it's arms with it's spinal saw yet again. It repeated the process three times, leaping at the Thundersaurus Megazord and grinding its sharp fin blade into it, sending sparks everywhere until it fell over.

"Well done!" she yelled. "The Rangers are through! Finish them!"

"I think you're forgetting about someone!" Kaylee called, barreling into her. They went crashing to the ground and rolled down the hill, locked in a fight.

When they reached the bottom they both jumped to their feet. "You!" Elsa growled.

"Who did you expect? The Easter Bunny?" she taunted. "You took my Zord; it was only a matter of time before I came to kick your gothic behind."

"Your Zord?" Elsa scoffed, summoning a sword to her hand. "That Zord obeys me. It's mine."

"Uh no, it's mine. It's called the _Spino_zord," Kaylee kindly reminded her as she summoned her Spino Whip to hand. "See, matches the whip and the costume. Duh."

Growling fiercely, Elsa dashed forward, swinging her sword downwards. Kaylee rolled out of the way, snapping her whip backwards and curling it around Elsa's feet. She pulled her hardest and brought the woman to the ground, where she busted her lip and cursed loudly.

"Swearing isn't polite!" Kaylee chided. "And neither is stealing!"

"You annoying little child!" Elsa spat, pushing herself to her feet. "You're going to be sorry for that!"

"I might, but you're gonna be a hell of a lot sorrier for taking something that's mine!"

The two fighters met in the middle, as roars and battle cries rung out in the air around them, meaning that the other Rangers hadn't given up yet and had risen to fight again. Faintly, Kaylee could hear the spinning saw behavior of her Zord's spinal fin, and it gave her the energy to keep going. To keep fighting.

She'd waited all this time for a freaking Zord, and she wasn't about to let some Emo Barbie Wannabe take that chance and joy away from her. Nor would she let her control her Zord and make it hurt her friends. It was _on_.

Gritting her teeth, she locked weapons with Elsa and pushed against one another, battling for higher ground. Smirking, she brought up one hand to wave.

"What the hell are you doing?" Elsa snapped, confused.

_**ZWOP!**_

Elsa stumbled forward now that there was nothing to push against, and was bewildered at the disappearance of her opponent. She wasn't alone long however, as a whooshing sound caught her attention and she looked up in time to see a huge branch come crashing down, hitting her and pinning her to the ground.

"That's dirty fighting!" she shrieked, attempting to move the tree branch off of her, but she couldn't. "You insignificant little—"

"You seriously need anger management," Kaylee taunted, and she did not notice the small device in her opponent's hand as it glowed purple. "Then again, I might as well—"

It was time for her words to be cut short as a huge foot slammed onto the ground behind her, the force knocking her off her feet. She looked up to see her Zord had come to aid Elsa, and it sent a tear through her heart, before she grabbed onto her morpher.

"Concentrate…," she whispered, reaching out with her powers and mind. "Hi, can you hear me? I realized it's a dumb thing to ask, since you can't really respond, but because of my ramblings, I'll ask anyway. Um…I know she broke you out of your egg, but…I don't want you to go with her. She's going to make you do bad things. Evil things. And I can't stand to watch my Zord do that."

The Spinozord's actions softened and it stood to listen instead of attacking her like Elsa was ordering it to do.

"I guess you are listening," Kaylee smiled. "I've waited a really long time for a Zord of my own, and you seem really cool. Even if it was bad, you really beat the others up in a funny way. And I hope that you'll bring that to our team instead, because you're supposed to be with us, the good guys. Aren't you Spinozord?"

It moved closer, its roar and growls all having disappeared and turned but into a soft growl that was thoughtful and friendly. Smiling again, and seeing that it was truly on her side now that it had been calmed and tamed, she reached up to hug its neck – even if she managed to get one itsy bitsy fourth of it's neck due to her size.

"I'm gonna call you Duck Jr, in honor of my favorite and most precious thing in the whole word that got me out of a lotta jams growing up – and I don't mean breakfast."

"Well isn't that just great," Elsa groaned, before rolling her eyes and teleporting out of there in a flash of purple electricity.

"_You did it Kaylee!_" Tommy yelled happily over the morpher. "_Now all you gotta do is combine with the others! It's time to finally have a Zord of your own._"

"And I only had to become a Ranger a second time to do it!" she giggled, before jumping up and into her Zord as she'd seen her teams do so many times before. It ran towards Scorpex, who had the Megazord pinned down, and flipped over, scraping through the monster with its saw fin once, and then twice.

It gave the others time to rise, and within the Megazord they cheered her on.

"Alright!" Ethan smiled. "Go Kaylee!"

"Let's see what this thing can do!" Kaylee grinned as she and her Zord rushed towards the others and the combining sequence began. The whole Megazord shifted, allowing Kaylee's Zord to be added like it should've been from the beginning.

The Tyrannozord remained as the left arm, and the Pterazord kept its place as armor and boomerang weapon, but the Tricerazord was moved to the back, where it became two treacherous spikes that dared any opponent to attack from behind and be stabbed. So the Spinozord replaced it as the right arm, its spinal fin adorning the end of the arm like a giant saw blade.

"Whoa!" Kaylee grinned, looking around the interior of the Megazord. She'd piloted the Storm Megazord once when the other Rangers had been on a mission and she'd been the only line of defense against the Wolfblades, but she's never had a Zord of her own or been truly part of the Megazord. "This place is sweet!"

She noticed the floating green orb in front of her, and noticed how the others kept their hands hovering over it.

"You control it with that, kinda just think your orders and I guess they tell the Zords," Kira stated, and Kaylee could tell she was smiling as she watched the excited Green Ranger. "And look, they even added green to the place."

Kaylee looked around at the slightly misty place, where a green quadrant had been added and she smiled. "So cool!" she grinned.

Movement caught their eyes and they turned to the big screen-like surface in front of them, allowing them to see what the Megazord saw, and noticed Scorpex had risen. As he ran at them, he raised his swords, only to have them sawed in half when Kaylee ordered her Zord arm to raise and slice through it.

"I love it!" she giggled, and the others nodded. Letting her have her fun, they watched as she conducted the Megazord to chop the other sword in half, before she sliced it across the chest.

"Now I'm mad!" it growled.

"Oh, you want more?" she questioned. "Happily!"

"Spino Blade! Full power!" They shouted together, and the Thundersaurus Megazord thrust its arm forward, creating a cross formation with the blade as it tore through monster. Rivulets of decaying energy and shock rocked Scorpex's body before he cried out and fell crashing to the ground, where it blew up.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Yes!" Tommy yelled happily, jumping up from his computer chair and proceeding dancing for victory as he pumped his arms into the air.

Mind you, not that anyone could tell you he danced well – they didn't want to lie.

xX-Beneath-the-Surface-Xx

"Tie up those show laces, boy!" Randall shouted as she marched through the crowded halls. As she reached the stairs and began to descend, Tommy caught up to her.

"Principal Randall, you're okay?" he inquired as they came to a stop.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You were pretty tough out there. I guess I didn't have to worry about you too much?"

"You were worried?" she asked, turning to smile at him. From around the corner, four teens watched, intrigued and keeping their laughter at bay. "About me?"

"Of course."

There was a moment of silent staring between them, before the bell rang and she cringed.

"You okay?" he frowned.

"It's the bell Doctor Oliver, your next class isn't going to teach itself, is it?" she retorted, before stalking off down the stairs and out of sight.

"Uh yeah…I mean…no?" he paused, unable how to make sense of that as four laughing teenagers found their way over to him before they headed down the stairway.

"Man that woman is cold-blooded," Ethan chuckled.

"She's like the Tyrannodrones!" Kaylee giggled. "Only…creepier!"

"Yeah, but remember, Dr.O's got a thing for dinosaurs," Conner smirked.

"Don't even start with me, Conner," Tommy stated.

"I think it's a perfect match," Kira grinned, giggling alongside Kaylee.

"Aren't you guys late for your next class?" Tommy asked, wishing to be rid of them.

"Yeah, we were kinda hoping you could write us a note or something," Conner suggested.

"Yeah, dream on!" Tommy laughed, and together they walked off down the hall, laughing and continuing to tease Dr. O.


	9. White Thunder, Part 1

**White Thunder, part 1.**

Yawning and stretching her arms, Hayley came out of one of the back rooms of Cyberspace, where she kept a room in case she ever worked too late and became too tired to drive home. Suddenly, a noise startled her, and she jumped, grabbing the jar on the counter beside her by reflex and instinct.

She looked down at it, seeing it was the jelly bean jar, and shook her head, putting it back. Looking around the nearest parts of Cyberspace, she spotted one of the microphone stands onstage, and grabbed it, walking towards the source of the noise.

Creeping towards it, she jumped out from behind the counter, yelling fiercely. Another startled yell erupted from the person sitting on a couch cushion, who then fell over.

"Hayley?" Trent frowned, looking up. "You're here? Why?"

"You see that sign outside?" she inquired, putting the microphone stand down. "The one that says '_Hayley's_' Cyberspace."

"Right," he nodded, getting up. "Sorry."

Frowning, she noticed the large art easel in front of his previous seat and the drawing on the front of an intricately detailed alien. "Wow," she breathed, leaning forward and flipping the pages to see other creations and caricatures. "This is…you did this? This is really good!"

"Thanks," he smiled.

"So, here's the only question I have," she stated as they got up and walked towards the counter.

"What am I doing here at 7 in the morning instead of at home?" he guessed, pulling the bar stools off the counter and putting them in place.

"That would be the one," she nodded.

"I came here to draw," he told her. "Dad's not exactly supportive of my artistic endeavors."

"How do you know?" she inquired, flipping the power switch and causing lights to turn on.

"Well, I think his exact words were: _Trent, I am in no way supportive of your artistic endeavors_."

"I see."

"He doesn't think it'll get me anywhere."

"He'll come around."

"My dad's a great guy, but there are some things he won't budge on. This is one of 'em."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"We came as soon as we could, Dr.O," Ethan stated as he, Conner, Kaylee and Kira hopped onto the mound of rubble and rocks, where Tommy was already scanning the area with a little machine. "What'd you find?"

The three Rangers looked at Kaylee expectantly, used to hearing her ask about a Zord in a situation like this. "What?" she grinned. "Get used to the silence! I've got Ducky Jr, and he's the only Zord I need!"

"Some sort of storage unit," he answered Ethan's question. "The energy readings are so intense, this meter can't register them."

"Well maybe you need a new one," Kaylee stated, noticing how huge and awkward the scanning machine looked. "That one looks kinda…prehistoric."

"It was given to me by a fellow researcher in college," Tommy stated.

"Uh…totally modern, teach!" she grinned sheepishly.

"Nice one," Kira snickered, patting the shoulder of the fumbling Green Ranger. "So, what kind of energy, Dr. O?"

"The same kind that's in your morphers," he stated, turning to look at them finally.

"You're saying there's a Dino Gem in here?" Conner frowned.

"Not anymore, but there used to be."

"I thought you had all kinds of things that would pick up if there was a gem out here," Kira pointed out, and Kaylee giggled.

"See, told you, he needs new toys," she stated.

"No," Tommy shook his head. "Hayley designed our tracking systems, there's no way they wouldn't be able to pick something like this up. Someone must've hidden it, and when the cloaking signal faded, it finally came on the radar."

"So is this good news or bad news?" Conner inquired.

"Guess that depends on who's got the gem," Tommy told them.

"I really, really hope it's not some lame-o kid that stumbled across it when he got lost from his field trip buddies," Kaylee groaned. "Because not that I like being the shortest on the team or anything, but I don't wanna have to see some kid shorter than me in spandex!"

"Don't forget," Kira poked her in the shoulder. "Who keeps trying to kill us on a regular basis for our gems?"

"Oh, crap! Mesogog!" the blonde smacked her hand to her forehead.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Trent wandered into his father's office slowly, and leaned in the doorframe. His father sat in the shadows of a bookcase, reading a small book.

"Did you have a good day at school?" he asked, apparently aware his son was there.

"It was alright," Trent nodded, walking in and scanning the bookshelves and surroundings with his eyes as his father continued to flip pages in his book.

"I trust you had further time to think about our earlier conversation?" he asked.

"Is that what it was?"

"I assume you're referring to the fact that you weren't happy with the…outcome?"

"I'm just not crazy about you telling me not to draw anymore," Trent stated, leaning on his father's desk.

"Trent when your parents disappeared, you and I agreed that I would act as your father. And fathers…are sometimes force to make decisions…for their children that their…children don't care for…"

"Dad I get that," Trent accepted. He frowned, noticing his father had begun to speak slowly, that he wasn't focusing his eyes properly and that beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. "Dad, are you alright?"

"Yes…," he stated weakly, before regaining some composure. "I'm fine."

"As I was saying," he turned away, beginning to loosen his tie as he put his book down. "I can only raise you the way I see fit. Now all I expect from you son is that you abide by my rules. Okay?"

"That's fine," Trent nodded.

"Now go," his father said absently. "I have work to finish."

"Yeah, me too," Trent agreed, before walking out. Anton got to his feet, sighing as he watched the doorway, before turning at the sound of a purple invisiportal opening. He walked towards it and reached out, being pulled into its depths moments later.

Trent watched from around the corner, and frowned as his father disappeared in a flash of purple light. Shaking his head, he walked further into the room, looking for the portal. "Hello?"

He searched for the portal, but could not find anything. "What are you up to, dad? What's going on around here?"

Suddenly, with an odd buzzing noise, the portal re-appeared. Trent walked over to it, frowning and examining the glowing purple wormhole. Slowly, just like his father had done, he reached out to it, being pulled through seconds later.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

The place around him was odd and unfamiliar. Not a very well-lit place that seemed almost like a high-tech cave, the place was filled with jars of multiple colored liquids all containing disfigured and odd-looking creatures.

"What is this place?" Trent frowned, looking around the lab. Other than the jars, there was a throne chair that almost seemed out of place and a huge mechanical arm with a sharp piece pointed onto a table.

It was aimed at something that was faintly glowing white, and it caught Trent's attention. In confusion and awe, he walked towards it, and his left hand began reaching out towards without him knowing.

The strap of metal on the table kept moving, as if itching to move and the white stone in the middle began to pulse brightly as Trent got closer. Without warning, it flew towards his wrist and attached itself there.

He gasped, looking down at it as it flashed brightly and turned into a white-colored contraption in the form of a dinosaur-like bird. Without warning, a blast of pain and overwhelming energy attacked him mentally and he groaned, falling to the floor as flashes of a white-suited Ranger with black spikes and a red visor danced across his mind.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

The Ranger Base computer beeped, and Hayley's gaze trailed up from her keyboard, resting on an image of a huge flower monster walking around downtown.

"Uh, guys, I think we may have something."

The four teenagers came over, and Kaylee groaned. "Not _another_ flower monster! How many types of plants do Elsa and Zeltrax have in their evil garden of growable terrors?"

"Actually, he doesn't seem to be very terror-orientated," Kira point out as they watched the creature keep walking and look around. "It kinda seems to be looking for something."

"Well it's not gonna like what it's gonna find, c'mon guys" Conner stated, and they jumped down from the computer platform, standing side-by-side. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the other three agreed.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Where are yooooou?" the flower monster called.

"Hey!" Conner called, making it turn. "Over here!"

"Is there something we can help you with?" Ethan inquired.

"Red? Yellow? Green? Blue?" he counted their colors, before shaking his head. "No, I'm looking for something in basic White."

"Do you have any clue what he's talking about?" Kira asked, looking up at Conner.

"No idea," he shook his head, before they steadied themselves in a fighting stance. Seeing the laser beam headed their way, they back flipped, getting out of the way.

As they stood up, they heard the whistling of air as a blur zoomed up, hitting the monster over and over again as sparks flew. The other Rangers watched, confused but in awe.

"What's that?" Conner frowned.

"I don't know," Kira shrugged.

"The Easter Bunny?" Kaylee suggested.

"How'd you figure?" Ethan asked.

"It looks white!" she pointed. "And the Easter Bunny is white! Besides, it's gotta move fast to deliver all those eggs to houses the night before Easter!"

"And it's attacking the flower power guy because?" Kira laughed.

"Because it looks like a dandelion and since Easter is in spring it'd be all for spring-y stuff, and dandelions ruin the pretty grass and flowers of spring, it's gotta take it out before things get wild," Kaylee explained. She then went off on explaining how _that_ worked, until Ethan placed a hand over the part of her helmet where her mouth was, evidently telling her to shut up.

Suddenly, the monster before them exploded, and the blur rushed off, running down another street, faint laughter following in his wake.

"You guys saw that, right?" Conner asked.

"Yeah," Kira nodded. "But…what_ was_ that?"

"I told you!" Kaylee stated. "It's the Easter Bunny!"

"_You guys should try to follow it. See if you can find anything_," Tommy stated over the morpher com-link they had turned on.

"C'mon!" Conner called and they rushed off in the direction the blur had gone. Within minutes they found themselves at the end of the path which led to the front courtyard of a building. "It should be around here!"

"Do you guys see anything, or am I going blind?" Kaylee asked as they looked at their surroundings.

"I got nothing," Ethan shook his head.

"Look harder," a distorted and threatening voice stated, and they turned to see a White-clad Ranger with huge shoulder blades, black spikes and a red visor standing there, arms crossed.

"Who is _that_?" Kira questioned.

"And how come he gets the fat helmet?" Ethan added.

"And the shoulder…thingies!" Kaylee pointed out.

"This guy a friend of yours, Dr.O?" Conner spoke into his morpher. When a definite '_no_' came through, Conner nodded, running forward. "Okay!"

"Conner, wait!" Kira called, grabbing his gloved hand and tugging him back to them. "It's pretty stupid to go rushing off into battle against some unknown enemy!"

"Yes but see, he's not exactly the definition of _smart_, Kira," Kaylee giggled.

Conner would've liked to glare at her if it weren't for the helmet preventing that. So instead, he looked to Kira. "Why not?"

"Because, you saw what he did to that flower monster!" she cried. "God knows what he could do to you!"

"You saying you don't think I could take him?" Conner asked, his voice containing the necessary ingredients for accepting a challenge.

"No, she's saying she doesn't want you to, in case you can't and wind up on your butt," Ethan stated, chuckling.

"You should listen to your friends," the White Ranger stated, and Conner turned back to face him. "Because if you don't, I might be forced to do something I really don't want to."

"Like what?" Conner asked, despite Kaylee and Kira attempting to stop him from saying the very words that were just asking for it.

"Let me show you," he chuckled, drawing a white dagger from his belt. "White Drago Sword!"

Swinging the weapon in a series of formations, he created a series of little WHITE arrows that stayed floating in the air in front of him. "Laser arrows," he stated, and made them turn towards the other four. In a flash they ripped through the air, battering the Rangers with a series of sharp jabs, sparks and energy blasts.

As the last couple hit, they were thrown off their feet, and groaned as they landed on their butts.

"You couldn't have let Conner go butt heads alone, Kira?" Kaylee muttered, rubbing her butt. "Then we wouldn't have wound up being floored with him!"

"Is that really necessary?" Conner snapped, looking up at the White Ranger.

"Yeah it is!" Kaylee muttered, thinking he meant her teasing him.

"That was just a warning," the Ranger stated, before disappearing in a burst of white light that radiated from his dagger.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Anything?" Tommy questioned Hayley, who was running scan after scan on the computer in regards to the White Ranger.

"Nothing, I can't get any readings on his genetic makeup. It's like the Ranger Powers bonded with his own DNA and it's all jumbled into one," she replied, sighing.

"Hey, at least we know it wasn't the Easter Bunny," Kaylee said, trying to be positive as she and the other three arrived. "How's it going?"

As an answer, the computer began to beep and a screen came up showing the White Ranger teleporting into town.

"Oh great, he's back," Ethan muttered.

"And looking for more trouble, no doubt," Kira added.

"You guys better get over there," Tommy stated. "Make sure he doesn't go completely medieval on any civilians."

"I thought the expression was _'postal'_," Kaylee frowned. "Oh well, let's go!"

"But we just got there," Conner sighed.

"Weren't you the one who was itching for a fight a few minutes ago?" Kira reminded him, and he grinned, following as they left the base.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Hey!" Conner yelled as they arrived. "Back so soon? Thought you made your point last time!"

"Point. Arrows," Kaylee put the pieces together. "Heh, I think puns get worse with every generation that goes by."

"I've only just started," the White Ranger stated, turning to face them. "You want some more?"

With rallying cries they charged, and their opposing Ranger shook his head, grabbing his Drago Sword as they reached him. He sliced Ethan on the shoulder, Kaylee on the arm and Kira on the side before reaching Conner, who tried to flip him over before the White Ranger sliced his chest and pushed him away.

Kira and Kaylee stepped in next, launching forward with synchronized kicks that he merely dodged, before twirling around them, sheathing his dagger and grabbing their wrists, pulling them in close and in a hard-to-get-out-of position.

"Um, could you not grip so tightly?" Kaylee winced. "That's my bad wrist."

"Terribly sorry," he chuckled, tossing her and Kira into the oncoming Ethan. As the Rangers got to their feet, the White Ranger unsheathed his Drago Sword, forming a series of arrows again that he fired towards them, causing sparks and explosions to follow as they went crashing to the ground. "Weaklings."

He laughed maniacally, running forward and kicking into a super speedy overdrive as he ran through the Rangers, slashing out with his Drago Sword. He formed and "X" on each of their chests before jumping away as the markings left by his weapon exploded.

Once again the Rangers found themselves on the ground, writhing in pain as the White Ranger emitted an evil chuckle. "That's gotta hurt."

"Why don't you get your generalized-colored-butt over here and I'll show you something that hurts," Kaylee snapped, reaching a hand to summon her power weapon but Ethan's steady hand and head shake stopped her. Ethan got his feet, helping her up afterwards.

"Alright, what's the deal?" Conner groaned, pushing himself to his feet as all four Rangers had smoke billowing up from them like dying fires. He extended a hand, helping Kira up as he spoke. "I tried to be nice, extending a little Ranger love, and this is what we get?"

"Guess you're not so good at expressing your feelings," Kira stated, and Conner's focus on the task at hand faltered as he looked at her, frowning. Had she just…?

"I'm not here to make friends," the White Ranger's annoyed voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Then what is it?" Ethan asked. "What do you want?"

"That isn't something you need to know. All that's important right now is that there are four Rangers too many," he claimed, turning to face them.

"Wait…does that mean Tommy's safe? That's not fair! He's the old fart!" Kaylee complained.

"Well, I'm here to change that."

"What, him being the old fart? Wait, are you _older_?" she inquired, and Kira shook her head.

"I think he meant the overabundance of Rangers," she pointed out.

"Whoa, big words for someone so small," Conner chuckled, and instantly regretted it as she whacked him upside the head. "What is with hitting me all the time?"

"Guys…," Kaylee began, tugging on Kira's elbow.

"I don't know, guess you just bring out the violence in me," she grinned.

"_Guys_…," Kaylee was more worried now, but no one was noticing.

"Lucky me," Conner stated.

"Guys!" Kaylee yelled, and Ethan paid attention in time to pull the Red and Yellow Rangers out of the way of another flurry of arrows.

"That's it!" Conner snapped, looking at the White Ranger. "Bring it!"

They rushed forward to meet him, and he quickly slashed the girls across the chest, then Ethan, and then Conner. As he pushed the latter two away, the girls came back with punches. He blocked these with his sword, smashing it against their wrists and they cried out in pain, stumbling backwards.

Laughing, he flipped backwards and away from them, only to have Ethan and Conner come running. He dispatched them, too, quickly enough. And he soon laughed as the other Rangers began to push themselves to their feet again. "That should do it."

In apparent pain, the Rangers stood before him, attempting to make the best of the situation and remain in their dignity, keeping their fighting stances.

"Think we're just gonna walk away?" Kira snapped, who appeared to be the least hurt of the four, she drew her Thundermax Laser, pointing it ahead. "Not gonna happen!"

She fired off a blast, only to have him return fire and blast her away, where she flipped through the air and crashed onto the pavement. Glaring fiercely at the White Ranger, Conner stood and drew his laser while the other two made sure Kira was alright.

"That's it, _now_ you're dead!" he yelled, aiming his laser.

"Wait, don't!" a morphed Tommy called, running up and lowering Conner's firing arm despite his protests.

"What are you doing?" Conner inquired.

"We don't know what he's capable of. He's got powers we might not be able to deal with." Tommy pointed out, before looking at the White Ranger. "We don't wanna hurt you…"

"Speak for yourself," both Conner and Kira muttered together as he helped her up.

"Why are you here?" Tommy asked, rolling his eyes at the other two.

"Why am I here?" the White Ranger pondered aloud. "Lemme see…to destroy you."

"That does it!" Ethan cried, and he and Kaylee drew their Thundermax Sabers, running forward despite Tommy's protests. They locked swords with their opponent, but as they began a duel, he quickly showed more swordsmanship, besting them both and causing sparks to fly as he slashed them across arm and chest.

They fell from the side of the raised parking lot building to the street below, where they recovered a moment as the White Ranger landed nearby.

"Nice flight?" he taunted.

"He's _so_ going down!" Kaylee stated, hearing Ethan agree as he clenched his fists. They got up and rushed forward, but it wasn't long before the Blue Ranger, and then the Green Ranger, were thrown backwards into cars, nearly breaking the windshields.

"Pathetic," he spat, walking towards the hurt Rangers. "You're no match for me."

"Ethan?" Kaylee squeaked. "Thoughts?"

"Got it covered!" he cried, summoning his Tricera Shield.

"Good call," she nodded, cracking the whip that appeared in her hands. "Spino Whip!"

The rushed forward, leaping into the air with their attacks. As their weapons connected with the White Ranger's raised arm, power was suddenly sucked from them and into what appeared to be his morpher.

"Can't…hold…on," Kaylee muttered, before she and Ethan were thrown back and onto the pavement, where they lay, exhausted, as they powered down without consent. "Okay…that totally sucked!"

"Looks like game over," Ethan groaned.

"Not yet," she shook her head, looking up to see the Black Ranger arrive.

"Kaylee! Ethan!" Tommy called, rushing forward and bringing his Brachio Staff down through the air. The White Ranger merely brought up the morpher, making Tommy's weapon crash down on it, before grinning behind his mask.

"I'll take yours too!" he chuckled as Tommy was lifted into the air by the force of the energy drain. Seconds later, he too got to say hello to the pavement, before powering down.

As the White Ranger's attention was on the three de-morphed Rangers, he didn't see Conner and Kira come barreling into him. He was knocking sideways with them, and crashed into a construction site sign.

"Time for answers!" Conner snapped as they got to their feet. "Now!"

Roaring with anger, the White Ranger rushed forward, taking a strike at Kira, who was closest. The Yellow Ranger summoned her Ptera Grips to block his hit, but he kicked out beneath their locked weapons, hitting her in the side he'd already attacked with his Drago Sword once or twice. She cried out in pain, and he kicked her backwards, where she went flying into the side of a concrete wall, crumpling to the ground and powering down.

The White Ranger stalked over, and was about to swing down his sword, but Conner's Tyranno Staff connected with the side of his head and the Red Ranger stepped between them. "You're really pissing off the wrong guy. I'm giving you one last chance."

Ignoring his words, the White Ranger slipped away from his grasped, slashing Conner across the chest and kicking his backwards forcefully. He too hit the concrete wall, and fell to the ground before powering down, clutching at his shoulder in pain.

"You were saying?" his opponent laughed, towering above the pair. Kira, slightly less hurt than Conner, stood on her feet, helping the Red Ranger up just as the others arrived.

"You okay?" she asked, allowing him to use her shoulder as support as he used Ethan's as well.

"Yeah, I think so," he nodded weakly.

"You've been warned Power Rangers, stay outta my way or be destroyed!"

And with that the Ranger warped off, leaving the teens and their mentor totally confused.

"Guys, we've got big trouble," Tommy sighed.

"Ya think?" Kaylee groaned, rubbing her arm.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"It wasn't supposed to go this way," Ethan commented as they sat on the steps in the basement Ranger Base. "Was it?"

"An Evil White Ranger?" Kaylee frowned. "No…I thought it was Green last time. Oh wait…it _was_ Green! But then he turned good and went White! Isn't that right, Dr. O?"

"Yeah…," Tommy sighed.

"So…this is weird…cuz I'm still Green…but I'm not evil…and there's already an evil White…so I can't turn evil," Kaylee used her fingers, calculating like math while the others watched, not understanding, but merely amused.

"So, what do we do?" Kira asked, drawing away from the girl's antics.

"How are we supposed to fight him if we can't get near him?" Conner added.

Tommy sighed. "We figure out who this is, and what he wants, before it's too late."

"_It's not too late, it's never too late_…," Kaylee hummed, and the others gave her incredulous looks. "What?"

"Three Days Grace? You?" Ethan inquired. "With such bad timing?"

"Heard it this morning on Kira's Ipod," Kaylee admitted. "Forgot mine for the bus ride, so we shared. Been kinda lodged in the back of my head all day."

"Ah," Ethan nodded, before smiling and shaking his head. Kira and Conner meanwhile, merely exchanged glances and shrugged.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Whoa…," Devin breathed as he and Cassidy were stopped short at the sight of a seemingly hurt White Ranger stumbling off into an alleyway. "I didn't know they came in white—whoa!"

Cassidy suddenly pushed him forward, intent upon following the new Ranger that had just appeared out of nowhere.

From around the alleyway corner, the White Ranger fell over, and powered down into a bewildered and confused Trent. He stood up, dusted himself off and headed towards the way out – before crashing into Cassidy and Devin.

"Did you see him? Did he come this way?" Cassidy inquired hurriedly.

"Who?" Trent frowned.

"The White Ranger! He was here; I know it!"

"Naw, I-I didn't see anybody."

"Hello, how could you not?" she snapped. "Oh whatever!"

She groaned, stalking off in search of her Ranger. "Sorry dude, see ya!" Devin apologized before running off after her.

"Devin, he's gone!" Cassidy whined and Trent leaned back against the building as they left, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

* * *

Thanks for the mistake pointing out, dguice. It's much appreciated, and changed. :)


	10. White Thunder, Part 2

**White Thunder, part 2.**

"This energy should activate the Dino Zord egg," the White Ranger stated proudly as he used his morpher to zap the large white egg in front of him. It had glowing red orbs on it, and black spikes covered it, so it resembled his uniform a lot. "Soon you'll be ready for you debut."

He picked it up, regarding it greedily. "When this opens, there'll only be one colour left in the rainbow…"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Hey, have you guys seen Trent?" Hayley asked as she approached Ethan, Kaylee and Kira, who sat at the Café's bar. "I'm a little worried, he hasn't shown up and he's never—"

"Ahem."

"Late," she grinned, turning around to see Trent. Only, he looked horrible.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I just had a…"

"Are you okay?" Kira frowned worriedly.

"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost," Kaylee added.

"Or Grippleshank," Ethan pointed out.

"Who?" Trent was puzzled.

"From _Black Knight's Castle_…it just came out last week," Ethan stated. "Grippleshank is like this massive dude with black eyes and yellow teeth. He spits this toxic stuff that dissolves you if you look at him."

"Okay…," Trent still wasn't getting it.

"And yet again, Ethan's geeky-ness is lost to the world," Kaylee sighed, smacking a hand to her forehead. "Ethan, when you're not at school or Cyberspace, please tell me you get out often."

"Sometimes," he nodded.

"God, it's like Cam all over again," she laughed.

"I'll watch out for him," Trent promised.

"Who, Cam?" Kaylee frowned. "Uh, unless you plan on going to Blue Bay Harbor, you're cool."

"No, I meant the black-eyed yellow-teethed dude," he chuckled. "Now, back on planet reality, I got a lotta work to do."

Hayley nodded and he walked off, leaving the four to watch him go. "You know, technically, if he'd seen Grippleshank, he wouldn't be here to tell you about it," Hayley grinned.

"Hmm," Ethan pondered, nodding. "Good point."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Kira smirked. "That's why her name's on the wall."

"Y'know, if it's too much work for you and Trent, I could help you," Kaylee grinned.

"Thanks Kaylee, if we start getting backed-up, I'll find you," Hayley smiled before walking off.

Then, their Dino Gems beeped and all three Rangers groaned.

"Ugh, that better not be him," Kaylee muttered.

"I know, I'm still getting gravel outta my hair from last time," Kira agreed.

"Well there's only one way to find out," Ethan told them, walking ahead. "Let's go!"

Hayley signaled to them as they left, and then turned to see Trent nearly crash into a table and drop the tray of glasses he held. Flashes of the White Ranger went through his mind, and his eyes rolled upwards as he fell.

Hayley rushed over as a few glasses went crashing down and broke, sliding across the floor.

"If you didn't wanna bus tables," she smiled weakly. "All you had to do was say so."

"I'm really sorry, Hayley," Trent sighed as she helped him to his knees. "I just lost it for a second."

He made a move to go pick up the broken pieces, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. "Sit," she ordered. "I've got it."

She helped him to his feet and made him sit on a chair just behind him. "I hate to get all bossy on you," she stated. "But I think I'm gonna order you to take some time off."

"No, no, I'm fine," he assured her.

"Look, I have a strict glassware budget I have to adhere to. I can't afford any more breakage today."

"You're probably right…after all, you are, smart."

"My parents will be glad to hear my M.I.T education hasn't gone to waste," she smiled, helping him up to his feet. "C'mon."

Reluctantly, he headed towards the door. "Call me later to tell me if you're alright."

"Yeah," he nodded, and walked out.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Kira, Kaylee and Ethan rushed down the stairs to the Ranger Base, and knew Conner was already there since they'd seen his Red Mustang out front. "Hey, Dr.O," Ethan greeted. "We came as soon as we got the message."

"You guys gotta see this," Conner stated.

"Please tell me you know who the White Ranger is," Kira pleaded, looking down at him.

"Not quite, but look at this," Tommy told them, pointing towards one of the computer screens. It zoomed in on a Dino egg, one that was white with black spikes and red orbs.

"Whoa!" Kaylee breathed. "It's huge! It's like, a Monsterdon egg!"

"Y'know that's not a real Dinosaur, right?" Ethan inquired.

"I know," she smiled. "But look! It looks like it's ready to pop!"

"It is," Tommy affirmed.

"Hey, what about that one?" Conner inquired, pointing at another screen as the camera zoomed in.

"Dino Zord eggs are all over the place!" Kira exclaimed.

"Hey, you think this is what Easter was like millions of years ago?" Ethan asked, chuckling.

"Oh! I told you he was the Easter Bunny!" Kaylee giggled.

"How do they come up with this stuff?" Conner shook his head incredulously, craning his neck up to look at Kira, who shrugged.

"Conner, Kira, you go to the warehouse," Tommy stated.

"Aww, how cute!" Kaylee giggled, ducking behind Ethan for fear of either teen hitting her.

"Kaylee, you go with them."

"Ah crap! Third wheel much Dr. O?"

"You be quiet, there's nothing third wheel about it," Kira snapped.

"Ethan, you come with me to the docks," Tommy stated, ignoring their bout. "We can talk about your Dino-Easter theory."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"This makes no sense!" Conner groaned as he and the girls walked through the warehouse. He had one of the large scanners in hand, but it didn't seem to be picking up anything as he made it pan the room.

"Are you getting anything?" Kira inquired.

"I dunno how to read this thing," he sighed, shaking his head and giving up on scanning. "Why didn't he give Ethan geek duty?"

"He did, just not with us," Kaylee pointed out.

"Here," Kira offered, taking it from him. "Lemme see that."

Conner sighed gratefully and she panned the room, watching the small screen on the device. It suddenly went off beeping and she smiled. "See, you just gotta have the touch."

"Never say that again. _Ever_," Kaylee giggled, but her words were lost on the pair as they took off in the direction it was pointing. "Fine. Don't listen to me!"

She followed them and the stopped in front of a tunnel-like section of the warehouse with no lights. "Why does it always have to be a creepy abandoned place?"

"Why, you afraid of the dark, Kira?" Conner grinned, leaning closer. "Need us to hold you hand for you?"

"Us?" Kaylee laughed. "I'm pretty sure she'd be okay if it was just _you_!"

"No!" she exclaimed, swatting him away. "And shut up Kaylee!"

"Look, let's just get it and get outta here," Conner suggested, his sweet tone gone and replaced by his leadership one. They nodded and ran off down the creepy abandoned section of the warehouse, Kira in front as she went where the scanner told her.

They stopped abruptly when they spotted bright golden pulsing lights coming from around a corner. "Well," Kira stated, looking up at Conner. "At least we know it's not abandoned."

"I dunno whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing," Kaylee pointed out, before they started towards it slowly. They turned the corner slightly, Conner ahead of them.

"Aw, terrific," he muttered, seeing the White Ranger advance towards the egg, shooting a golden and white blast out from his morpher. Realizing they were out in the open, he grabbed onto Kira's arm and pulled her back around the corner, where Kaylee was already waiting.

"White Ranger," they told her, and she groaned.

"Crud."

They waited a few moments, making sure he hadn't seen them and followed.

"Not scared y'know," Kira stated, out of the blue.

"Huh?" Conner frowned, looking down at her. She glanced pointedly between them, and he followed her gaze, realizing he still held her arm. "Oh, right. Sorry."

Kaylee grinned and was going to say something before Kira peaked her head out, spotted the White Ranger, still at work on the egg, and came back to rest her head on the wall they were pressed up against.

"Well, d'you wanna try talking to him?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yeah, cuz that worked well last time," Kira said sarcastically.

"How 'bout we just morph, kick his butt, and steal his egg instead," Conner suggested.

"Yeah," Kira smiled, nodding. "I like that better."

The three jumped out from their hiding spot, facing the White Ranger in fighting stances. He noticed them, and seemed to scoff. "I don't have time to play Rangers. I'm busy. Now go!"

He sent a flurry of Drago Arrows in their direction, and since they were caught off guard, they were thrown backwards as the projectiles connected, sending volts of shock through their bodies. Pushing himself to his feet, Conner glared at the Ranger as he helped Kira up and Kaylee merely teleported into a standing position.

"We're not here to play," he stated through clenched teeth. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the girls nodded, and their Dino Gems turned into their morphers.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Ready to get this poser?" Conner asked them.

"Way ahead of you," they nodded and together the three Rangers rushed towards their enemy. The latter merely took off to meet them in Superspeed, twisting his Drago Sword through the air and slashing at them wildly as he went by over and over again.

He reappeared in the air in front of them, flying towards them, where he delivered a powerful kick that sent them all sprawling to the end of the corridor. "Best two outta three?" he taunted as they got to their feet.

"Okay, this isn't fun anymore," Kaylee whined.

"I agree," Kira nodded.

"Well then, let's finish it," Conner clenched his fists, still itching for a fight. He ran forward the attack the White Ranger, while Kaylee and Kira's morphers went off.

"_Guys, you've got bad news coming your way_," Hayley stated over the com-link.

"Worse than this?" Kira asked, looking up to see Conner get smashed into the wall. Everything around them began to shake.

"Great, by the sounds of it, it's already mega-tall," Kaylee stated.

"Just what we need," Conner muttered as he stood up, only to be kicked back into a pile of boxes. Angry, Kira rushed forward, summoning her Ptera Grips and going head-to-head against the White Ranger. She lasted slightly longer than Conner before she too was in boxes.

Kaylee then looked at her downed friends, then at the White Ranger, and summoned her Spino Whip. Keeping her distance (because getting in close was what had gotten Conner and Kira defeated), she cracked her whip at him, hitting him in the side of the head.

He growled, waiting for her to strike again and then grabbing onto the spiked weapon. Kaylee's eyes widened and she realized too late what he was doing. He wrenched the Whip forward, and made Kaylee come flying, only to kick her in the gut.

He let go of the whip when she reached the end, and she went flying further, into the wall behind her friends. Conner got to his knees, placing a hand on Kira's shoulder as she sat there, holding her side.

"Are you okay?" Conner asked, gritting his teeth against his own pain.

"Just great," she muttered, looking up at their opponent.

"Fine, don't care about me," Kaylee stated, glaring at the back of the Red and Yellow Rangers' heads.

"You guys aren't even a challenge," the White Ranger mused. "Take a hike before you really get hurt."

"Not a chance," Conner shook his head.

"What?" Kaylee frowned.

"Yeah, we're not leaving without that egg," Kira vowed.

"But guys!" Kaylee protested. "Don't you think we've taken a beating enough already?"

"We can stay here and fight, but I thought you'd wanna save this city," the White Ranger taunted, twirling his Drago Sword in his hands.

"I hate to admit it…," Kira began, looking up at Conner.

"But he's got a point," Kaylee finished, standing up beside them.

"We'll finish this later," Conner vowed, keeping a hand on Kira's shoulder as he glanced from her up to Kaylee. "Let's go!"

The girls nodded and Kira got to her feet with the help of Conner and Kaylee, and together they ran off. "Good answer," the White Ranger chuckled. "You leave my egg alone."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"I'm getting some seriously strong readings Dr. O," Ethan stated as Tommy pulled the Jeep to a stop by the docks.

"Let's check it out on foot," Tommy told him, getting out of the car.

"That egg has to be around here somewhere," Ethan scanned the area, watching the machine in his hands with interest. "This thing's going nuts!"

"That doesn't sound good," Tommy commented as an alarm went off nearby. From the industrial building on the docks, all the workers came running and screaming. Tommy stopped one in his tracks. "You guys alright?"

"There's…There's a giant…thing! I dunno what it is but it's coming this way!" he stumbled over his words before running off.

"C'mon!" Tommy told Ethan, and together they ran off towards the building. They skidded to a stop in between two warehouses, watching as a huge turquoise Zord stomped by. "Looks like we got here just in time."

"Now what?" Ethan frowned, looking up at the towering creature.

"_He's all yours, guys_," Hayley's voice came in over Tommy's morpher, and the black Brachio head switched to that of the turquoise Zord ahead of them. "_It's the Parasaurzord._"

"How come mine doesn't do that?" Ethan whined, seeing that his Morpher remained the same.

"_Sometimes you just need a little something extra_," Hayley added, ignoring his complaint.

"I hear that," he nodded.

"Easy fella," Tommy stated, as the Parasaurzord made its bouts of protest and excitement.

"I see black and blue clothing!" Kaylee shouted as she, Conner and Kira ran up.

"There you guys are," Kira stated.

"We found that egg," Conner reported. "Only problem is, so did the White Ranger. He's trying to hatch it!"

"You guys stay here and deal with this thing," Tommy stated, before looking at Ethan. "Ready?"

"Right!" Ethan nodded, and together they morphed.

"Zords are on the way," Tommy promised before he ran off. The Brachiozord then came lumbering down the streets, opening up panels. Kira's Zord flew out of the top, Kaylee's came running out the right side, Conner's jumped out from the left, skidding down a ramp and Ethan's came out the back, thundering down the length of the tail.

Their Zords came running towards them, sending shockwaves through the ground as it did. The Rangers ran to meet them, and Kaylee was overjoyed as she joined them this time. Together, they jumped into the air and into their Zords.

"Tyranno Power!"

"Ptera Power!"

"Spino Power!"

"Tricera Power!"

Their Zords joined together, forming the Thundersaurus Megazord and they went to find today's annoying opponent.

"You think you've got what it takes to drop the Angor?" the monster chuckled.

"Why is it that the monsters always have corny lines?" Kaylee inquired as they stood down the street from the giant Anchor creature. The Megazord and Angor lumbered through the street towards one another, and met in the middle, crashing their weapons against one another.

"I've got you anchored!" it cackled, only to be kicked in the middle. It stumbled backwards, before being hit repeatedly with lasers. The monster wasn't done yet as it lunged forward.

"Spino Blade!" Kaylee yelled, slashing it across its front with her Zord arm.

"Tyranno Tail!" Conner added, slashing it the other direction with his Zord arm.

"Ptera Rang!" Kira called, hoping to finish it as she conducted the Megazord to through the sharp boomerangs that were her Zord. Angor deflected them angrily.

"Now I'm angor-y!" he stated, jumping high into the air and firing off lasers. The repeated blasts brought the Megazord down, and Angor proceeded in jumping up and down on them, putting loads of strain on the mechanisms.

"That's cowardly!" Ethan exclaimed. "Tricera Horns!"

The blue armor that was Ethan's Zord suddenly shot upwards from the Megazord's back, stabbing into Angor's feet and he cried out in pain, falling into the street behind them. The Megazord got to it's feet.

"Parasaurzord!" Conner called, and the turquoise Zord came hopping down the street. It took one super leap, replacing the left arm of the Megazord, which a part of the Tyrannozord had previously occupied.

As Angor thrust his sword arm forward, the Parasaurzord came in handy like a pair of scissors, chopping it to pieces. It then proceeded in helping the Megazord chop every other part of the monster into pieces, and then Angor exploded.

Conner brought his morpher up, speaking into the com-link and signaling Tommy. "We've got this situation under control. How're you doing over there?"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Got a little sidetracked," Tommy admitted. "But I'm heading back to the White Ranger now."

He broke connection and ran off down the abandoned hallway of the warehouse, reaching a staircase that seemed to go on forever. "They couldn't have had an elevator?" he muttered, after having descended at least three stories.

By the time he reached the doorway to witness a Zord break free of the white egg and grow as the White Ranger commanded – he was horribly out of breath. "Oh no!"

And then, just his luck, the building began to collapse as the Zord outgrew it. Chunks of ceiling fell all around him and he launched himself out of the way.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

The four Rangers in the Megazord turned to look at the top of a warehouse building as a Dino shriek almost like the Pterazord's rang pierced the air. Atop the building was a white bird-like Dinozord, its red eyes focused on the Megazord as it let loose another cry.

"Whoa, what's that?" Ethan stated in awe.

"I'll give you one guess," Conner growled angrily.

"He must have hatched the Dinozord egg," Kira added. "I really don't like the look of this."

"I don't blame you! He's totally ripping off your Zord!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"Hello again, Rangers," the White Ranger called, jumping up onto the beak of the White Zord before them. "Well, what do you think? If you wear the suit; you gotta have the Zord, right?"

"No! It's the one thing we have that you don't!" Kaylee shook her head. "And I only _just_ got mine, like, a week ago!"

"Now, let's see what this bird can do!" the White Ranger stated, brining up his morpher. "Dragozord! Activate!"

"You guys ready for this?" Conner inquired, keeping himself from sighing.

"I guess so…," Kira shrugged, not ready at all.

"Not really," Kaylee admitted.

"Huh?" for once Ethan was lost.

"Let's do it!" the White Ranger stated, powering up his Dragozord.


	11. White Thunder, Part 3

**White Thunder, part 3.**

In the downtown area, the Megazord and the White Ranger's new Dragozord faced off as the White ranger himself stood on the beak/nose of his Zord.

"Dragozord, show these fools what you can do," he chuckled, jumping down onto a rooftop.

Flapping its wings and releasing another cry into the air, the Dragozord sent debris flying at the Thundersaurus. Standing and watching on the streets below, Dr. O cursed as the Megazord stumbled with all the wind, glass, roof tiles, cars and debris it was being battered with.

"Hey, no need to get crazy!" Conner yelled.

The Dragozord kicked off, flapping its wings furiously as it flew through the air towards the Megazord. Funneling forward, it smashed it's beak into the Thundersaurus several times, and the several more times, each time worse than the last as sparks flew madly around.

"They need help!" Tommy realized, brining up his morpher as the Brachio head changed into a purple-red Stego. "Stegozord! Activate!"

The purple-red Dinozord which Tommy called came running out of the Brachiozord.

"I was hoping you'd do that," the White Ranger announced, as the blade on his Drago Sword turned into a sort of white whip or ribbon that he then launched towards the Stegozord.

"Stegozord, you are under my command." And its eyes flashed a different color as the White Ranger leapt into his Dragozord, a similar orb command center around him like those in the Megazord. "Dino Stegazord formation."

"Uh-oh," Tommy sighed, watching as the Dragozord took off and flew towards the Stegazord, legs reaching out to grab it. "Not good."

The two Zords combined, soon forming the Dino Stegazord.

"He stole the Stego!" Conner pointed out.

"And he used a whip!" Kaylee yelled. "He's just full of rip-off potential today!"

"I think I'm ready for him to take a hike," Kira muttered. "Hopefully get lost along the way."

"That's not a very nice way to treat the new guy at work," the White Ranger chuckled, as the Dino Stegazord swung a large sword made up of the Stegazord's tail at them, shooting sparks galore when it connected with the Megazord's chest.

The Megazord stumbled back a few feet before squaring up and preparing to face off against the Dino Stegazord.

"Why are you doing this?" Kira inquired. "You're losing it."

"No, you're the one losing it," The White Ranger stated. "You're losing it to me."

"Does anyone else find that sounds _really_ wrong?" Kaylee asked, and three Rangers turned to stare incredulously at her despite helmets preventing her from seeing their looks. "Sorry."

The Dino Stegazord attacks, knocking the Rangers back inside the cockpit. Struggling to keep their ground, the two Megazords circled each other.

"I say we go at him full on!" Ethan exclaimed, looking at Kaylee.

"Right!" she nodded. "Spino Blade!"

As her zord's fin saw slashed the White Ranger's Megazord a few times, it stumbled backwards.

"Tyranno Drill!" Conner put in.

"Dino Stegazord Stinger!" the White Ranger countered and both attacks clashed in mid-air, but the resulting battle left the Thundersaurus behind as it stumbled backwards and in the following hit, it broke apart into it's individual Zords.

The Rangers fell out, hitting the ground hard and grunting in pain.

"Brutal," Kira hissed in pain, holding her shoulder as she struggled to sit up.

"You're telling me," Kaylee commented, breathing deeply. "That sucked!"

"Are you guys alright?" Tommy asked, running up as the Rangers sat up.

"Yeah," Conner nodded. "But our Zords are seriously tweaked!"

"That was just low," the Black Ranger said as they all got to their feet. Their Zords were on the ground now, crying out as their eyes flashed and then dimmed.

"Since when do they have bad Power Rangers?" Ethan frowned.

"Since forever," Kaylee muttered, remembering her own experiences with them.

"Yeah, even he was one," Kira stated, pointing at Tommy.

"Do you two really think you're helping?" Conner inquired, looking at them. They exchanged glances before shaking their heads as their shoulders dropped.

The Dino Stegazord stood in the streets a little ways away, watching the fallen Zords. "Now, I'll take the rest of the Zords!" he cackled, holding up a glowing Drago Sword.

"No!" the Rangers yelled, but Tommy had stepped forward with his morpher at the ready as he pressed a few buttons.

"What are you doing?" Kira asked him.

"Trying to break the Stegazord away."

As part of the Dino Stegazord, the Stegazord's eyes began to glow as red lightening zipped across it, both the White and Black Rangers fighting for control. Suddenly, it broke away and the Dino Stegazord disassembled.

The Stegazord then proceeded in walking away from the Dragozord. "You'll pay for that," the White Ranger hissed angrily before the Dragozord flew away.

"Good save, Dr. O," Ethan cried, elbowing the Black Ranger happily.

"Thanks, but I doubt if it'll last," Tommy nodded. "The White Ranger's power over the Stegazord is too strong."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

The White Ranger appeared in the warehouse district after leaving his Zord. "Huh?"

He suddenly clutched his chest, glowing white and crackling with orange lightening. Unbeknownst to him, Devin came around the corner.

"It's…it's…you're the White Ranger!" he stuttered excitedly, as he opened one of his bags and attempting to quickly pull out his camera. "Please, baby, don't do it just yet. Hand on Mr. Ranger…"

As he struggled to get his camera ready, his head jerked up and smashed against a metal pipe. His eyes rolled upwards and he fell to the ground, having passed out. The camera landed beside him, pointing at the White Ranger as he demorphed.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Well, that was like, the worst day ever," Conner muttered, leaning against the computer chair that Kira sat in, attempting to spin lamely but couldn't.

"There's going to be a lot of days like this, guys," Tommy pointed out, walking past.

"Uh, what ever happened to the glass if half full?" Kira inquired.

"Guess this time its half empty," Kaylee sighed.

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't," Tommy stated. "But that's when you've gotta dig deep. That's when the qualities that made you guys Rangers, become most important."

"You're right," Conner sighed, nodding. "What can we do?"

"Go have a little fun," he suggested. "Ethan, isn't there a new video game you wanna check out?"

"When is there not?" Kaylee giggled, but her mouth dropped as Ethan expert shook his head.

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I have no desire to go near a computer," he confessed, his shoulders dropping.

"I know what you mean," Kira agreed. "I haven't picked up my guitar in days."

"Or wrote any lyrics," Kaylee added. "We haven't done anything music-ish."

"Go on," Tommy stated. "Teachers orders."

As they nodded and walked off, he kept up a smile, but once the doors to the Ranger Base closed, it dropped. "Enjoy yourselves now, because this is only going to get worse."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Conner toyed with the opposing players on the field, kicking it around them and practically running in circles with the rest of his team. It took him little to no effort to race from one end of the field to the other, passing it to other players now and then, before scoring.

While rejoicing with the rest of the team, he spotted Trent sitting on a bench a ways away with his head in his hands. "Hey, how long's that guy been sitting there?" he asked a fellow teammate of his.

"Don't know, didn't really notice," he shrugged before running off to play.

Frowning, Conner walked over to Trent. "Hey, Trent!"

"Huh?" the Cyberspace busboy looked up, lost.

"Are you alright?" the soccer star inquired as his counterpart rubbed his head. He was pale and sweaty, and his eyes looked swollen, as if he'd missed a lot of sleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he nodded, but Conner knew it was a lie. He clearly didn't look it and Trent knew this as he looked up at a slightly blurry Conner.

"No offence, dude, but you don't look fine," Conner stated, reaching out to pat his shoulder but the other teen knocked it away.

"No! I'm just taking a rest."

"Maybe I should call your dad or something."

"No, don't! Just leave me alone!" he snapped, and with that he was gone, pushing Conner aside as he ran off. Conner's teammate returned, frowning.

"You know that guy?" he inquired.

"Yeah, from school. Look, I better go check on him.

"Dude, forget it, he's gone!"

"I'll see you guys next time," Conner promised, running off in the direction Trent had gone.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Conner jogged down the path surrounded by grass and trees, looking around for traces of Trent. He knew he shouldn't have changed out of his soccer kit before going after him, but he didn't really feel like keeping the soccer sweat on him.

Shrugging, he noticed a small cliff that led down to the river with a small stony beach. Looking around and noticing no other path, he figured it was as good as any. "Trent!" he yelled, jogging off towards the cliff and looking over the edge. "I know he went this way."

Appearing out of nowhere was the White Ranger, jumping through the air and knocking Conner off the cliff. The latter attempted to morph in the air, and he managed, but couldn't land on his feet before it finished, and thus met the earth with his face after his uniform molded to him.

The White Ranger somersaulted overhead, landing further down the beach as Conner got up off the ground, groaning. "Oh great, it's you again."

"Tell you what," the White Ranger began. "This time I'll give you sporting chance."

He pulled out his Drago Sword, and threw it away, where it landed in between the but slightly off to the side. Conner nodded, his hands baling into fists.

"You're going down!" he shouted, adopting a fighting stance.

"Oh, really?" he chuckled, before running super fast, hitting Conner a few times and knocking him to the ground within seconds. "Looks like it's you that's down."

"That's it," Conner groaned, getting up. He whipped out his Thundermax Blaster, pointing it towards the White Ranger.

"Can't fight me without a weapon, huh?"

Hesitating, Conner decided that his opponent had thrown away his weapon, so he did the same, tossing his Thundermax Blaster aside. "Why do we have to fight? We're both Rangers!"

"You're good; I'm evil," the White Ranger stated. "It's a pretty simple concept."

He ran at Conner in Superspeed, and fed up at this point, Conner kicked his powers into action, meeting the White Ranger at Superspeed as well. They threw punch after punch, kick after kick, before knocking one another backwards and smashing onto the ground.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

_C'mon, I've gotta do something…_Tommy thought to himself, typing away at the super computer, trying to find some weakness to the White Ranger. Some advantage they could gain over him. As he continued to concentrate on this, he didn't notice as Kira and Kaylee walked up.

"Hey," Kira breathed as they appeared at his sides and he looked up.

"Girls," he frowned.

"Y'know, that whole have fun thing, well…" Kira began.

"Kinda tough when the fate of the world is hanging in the balance," Kaylee sighed.

"Should've known you'd have a tough time with that," Tommy nodded, sighing as well.

"She's not the only one," Ethan stated, coming in as well.

Just then the alarm went off, and an upgraded version of Angor appeared onscreen. He was giant-sized again, and the Rangers rolled their eyes.

"Man, didn't we already kill him?" Kaylee groaned.

"Apparently, he wasn't dead enough," Kira muttered.

"Well you guys have good timing," Tommy stated. "Hope Conner isn't having too much fun."

The alarm beeped again and as an answer, the screen shifted to the image of Conner, morphed, lying on the ground. He raised his morpher, bringing the communicator closer.

"_Hey, Dr. O, I'm in trouble here_," he wheezed, out of breath.

"Hang on, Conner," Tommy nodded. "I'll send some back-up."

On the viewscreen, Conner nodded as well, before swiftly rolling out of the way. White boots crunched into the dirt where he'd been and the camera panned upwards, revealing the White Ranger.

"I've had about enough of him!" Kira hissed, fists clenching.

"Okay, Kaylee, Ethan, looks like we'll have to deal with Angor ourselves," Tommy told the other two, who tossed knowing grins in the Yellow Ranger's direction before nodding. "Let's do it!"

They got up, and position themselves in a row. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Somewhere in the city, Dr. O, Kaylee and Ethan rounded a corner, running down a street as fast as they could. They spotted Angor (not that it was hard) in behind a building.

"Auxiliary Zords, online!" Dr. O called, and his morpher flashed between the heads of the Parasaurzord and the Cephalazord as they bounded out of the Brachiozord. Ethan and Kaylee brought up their morphers and called their Zords out as well.

Together, the four Zords raced towards Angor, who began shooting at them angrily.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"Going down," the White Ranger smirked, swinging his foot out and catching Conner's leg, thus tripping him. He groaned as he fell crashing to the ground – again. "Look what I found."

In the palm of his hand he summoned a Thundermax Saber. Stumbling to his feet and holding a curse or two under his breath, Conner held his shoulder. "You're out of your mind!"

"Now, now. Let's not judge, especially since I have the sword."

The White Ranger rushed forward, attacking the Red Ranger with the sword, hitting him across the chest several times. Struggling against the hits, Conner managed to grab onto his opponent's wrist. "This is getting old. Let's finish it once and for all."

He raised his sword, hitting Conner a few times for every small hit he took, and sparks flew as the Red Ranger fell to the ground again. Holding his shoulder that screamed with pain, he was on his knees as the White Ranger held up the Thundermax Laser.

"It also comes as a handy laser," he smirked, aiming it at Conner. "Later, bro."

Several white lasers shot from the Thundermax, blasting into Conner with waves of excruciating pain. Explosions went off behind him as some shots missed, but those that hit their mark brought him straight to the ground, crying out in pain.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"C'mon, you can do it!" Kaylee encouraged her Zord as it ran forward, slashing Angor repeatedly with it's saw fin. Annoyed of this, the monster reached out and smashed its thick metal arms on the saw, stopping it, and lifting the Zord into the air. "No!"

No sooner had it opened it's mouth to say something had Ethan's Zord smashed into the back of it, large Tricerazord horns stabbing into it's back. It dropped the Spinozord, yelling, but its pain wasn't over with yet.

"Cephalazord! Parasaurzord!" Tommy cried, and the purple and turquoise Zords stepped in, one punching away wildly and the other snapping its tail at the monster.

This allowed the Spinozord to get a little ways away, safe as it shook itself free of Angor's slimy handprint residue. Kaylee grinned, clapping Ethan on the back. "Thanks!"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Kira raced through the side streets on her Raptor Cycle, driving as fast as she could with fearing to run over someone or drawing too much attention.

Suddenly, her bike jerked and she looked over her shoulder to see a Tyrannodrone had grabbed on and was trailing in the wind behind her, slowly crawling forward.

"Okay, I try to miss share and share, but seriously, when you go touching my things without asking, it really pisses me off!" she exclaimed, turning a corner with such force that it sent the monster flying off and into a street lamp.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Conner lay face-down on the ground, fires burning in the gravel behind him. He tried pushing himself up, but at the moment it was no use, so he stopped trying, attempting to gather his forces. _Where are the reinforcements…_he thought in exhaustion.

"It's over," the White Ranger chuckled, walking over.

_It can't be…if I go…I'm letting them down…Dr.O, Ethan…Kaylee…Kira…Rockstar's gonna be pissed if I give up now, after everything._

"Don't even bother," the Ranger taunted. "You'll just lose again anyway."

_Stupid arrogant jerk…he's so full of himself…_Conner thought bitterly, before his eyes widened in a distorted version of irony. _Whoa…is this what I sound like during soccer? No wonder they called me a dumb jock…that's it. No more disappointing my friends. No more giving up. No more letting this loser get the upper hand!_

"Huh?" the Ranger still standing frowned as Conner's fists clenched and he slowly got to his feet.

"It is _so_ not over," he said through gritted teeth as a faint red glow surrounded him. "Super Dino Power!"

Suddenly, the spike designs on his uniform grew into actual spikes, and strength filled up the Red Ranger as raw Dino Power coursed through his veins. He grinned, before taking off at a run towards the White Ranger.

"Stay back!" he shouted, and fired off shots that were simply in vain. In revenge for all those previous hits, Conner took his sweet time knocking the White Ranger around, before finally delivering a punch that sent him sprawling onto the ground near his Drago Sword.

"Whoa!" the Red Ranger breathed. "Looks like I tapped into a whole new level of power!"

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Kira smirked after getting rid of another batch of Tyrannodrones that had tried to hitch a ride from her. She swerved around another corner and raced on, only to come skidding to a stop on a dirt road as a figure appeared in the middle of her path.

"So nice to see you, Yellow Ranger," Elsa smirked evilly, her sword in hand.

"What do you want?" Kira spat, although she was pretty sure she knew already.

"You're heading to a fight you're not part of."

"Your point? You're not part of it either."

"No, but my master has business with the two Rangers involved. And we'd rather not have some lovesick schoolgirl crashing the party!"

"Lovesick schoolgirl? Oh, you are _so_ dead lady!" Kira yelled, jumping off her Raptor Cycle despite a voice in her head that told her she could easily blow by Mesogog's puppet.

Elsa laughed maniacally, rushing forward to slash madly at the Yellow Ranger, who managed to summon and block with her Ptera Grips just in time. They battled it out relentlessly, both getting hits on one another that caused eruptions of sparks to go off, but neither seemed like they were gonna back down anytime soon.

"Not bad for someone who keeps getting beaten up by the White Ranger," Elsa cackled, their weapons locking together again as they tried to push one another over.

"Says the Wicked Witch of the West who's never fought him," Kira spat, twirling out of the fight before ducking Elsa's swipe and swinging the Ptera Grips, aiming at Elsa's legs. They hit right on target, and Elsa shrieked as pain shot through her legs.

They buckled beneath her and she cursed the Yellow Ranger as she threw her sword forward. Kira back-flipped out of the way, landing near her Raptor Cycle and getting back on. "Thanks for the warm-up! Gonna need if I'm gonna save the boy in red!"

And with that she sped off, leaving Elsa to rant angrily before teleporting back to Mesogog's lab in a flash of purple electricity.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Kira pulled to a stop at the edge of the cliff and looked down at the stony beach by the river, spotting Red and White Rangers about several meters away from one another. The White Ranger's suit was smoking and he dropped his laser gun before collapsing.

She watched as Conner hesitantly took a step forward. "Oh, Conner, don't," she worried, but he ran to the downed Ranger, helping him into a sitting position. She noticed the helpless White Ranger's body language change all too soon. "Conner! No! Get outta there!"

"Huh?" Conner frowned, looking around the riverbank. "I thought I heard something."

"Might've been the sound of the wind rushing in one ear and out the other," the White Ranger suggested, before kneeing Conner in the stomach and getting up.

"I can't believe I fell for that!" Conner grunted as he was pushed back.

"And here's what you get for your stupidity," his counterpart announced, shooting him with the Thundermax Laser a few times. This time as Conner fell; he knew he didn't have what it took in him to get back up again.

The White Ranger walked over to his Drago Sword, picking it up. "You put up a pretty good fight, but now it's over."

The Sword glowed white as he raised it, but as he went to bring it down, a sound unlike any other assaulted his ears and he dropped the weapon, clutching his head. The Yellow Ranger appeared then, having stumbled down the cliffside as hurriedly as possible.

"Sorry to ruin your fun, but Red's kind of an essential color in the land of latex-clad heroes," Kira stated, standing protectively in front of Conner, who was mildly aware what was going on.

"I really hate the color Yellow," the White Ranger muttered, shaking his head from the slight ringing noise that was still present. He raised his Drago Sword and quickly drew out a pattern of arrows, sending them crashing into the unsuspecting Ranger.

She cried out and fell to her knees, clutching her side, but kept her gaze on the White Ranger as she held her Ptera Grips firmly in her free hand. Their glares were broken when a flash of purple alerted them to something behind the White Ranger, and he turned to see Mesogog and Zeltrax standing there.

"Don't let me interrupt," the dino-monster stated.

"Who are you?"

"I am Mesogog."

"I can't believe you two haven't met," Kira spat. "You have so much in common."

"Silence!" Zeltrax roared, firing a blue electrical blast from his sword that hit Kira square in the chest, knocking her to the ground.

"Do not speak unless spoken to," Mesogog mused, turning to the White Ranger. "Now, we have some business to attend to."

"I have no business with you."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll help you defeat the rest of the Power Rangers, and you can be one of my subjects when I rule the planet."

"I'll take a pass on that. Dragozord, online!" The White Ranger called as his morpher beeped. Seconds later, the Dragozord hovered overhead and he jumped up and into it. The two villains watched him fly away before approaching the Rangers.

Kira was alert now and nearly on her feet, Ptera Grips in hand and hold on them tightening considerably when they got closer.

"Shall I finish them, master?" Zeltrax inquired, seeing as her uniform was smoking and she was trying very hard not to let them hear that she was out of breath.

"Try me," Kira dared, standing up as best she could.

"No," Mesogog shook his head and for a moment Kira wondered if the dinosaur was being sympathetic. "Our new friend seems to have a fascination with these two. I will let him live in the hopes that he will lead us to him again."

Sympathetic? Where had she gotten that stupid idea?

She watched as they walked away, disappearing in a flash of purple light. Sighing, she dropped onto the ground, letting her weapons go and dropping her fighting spirit. She sat there a few moments, regaining her strength before she heard shuffling and groaning beside her.

"Conner?"

"Hey…," he breathed, weakly pushing himself up with her help.

"How you doing?"

"Considering the fact that I've eaten more dirt in the past half hour than I did when I was a little 3-year-old kid that loved mud pies," he muttered. "Horrible."

"Right, stupid question," she nodded sympathetically. "Rest, and we'll go find the others."

"No," he shook his aching head, letting her help him up. "I don't think this is over yet, and I'm not gonna stop till it is. There's no way I'm letting the others fight this alone."

"Says the guy who went off to fight the White Ranger all on his own and got his butt kicked," Kira pointed out sternly.

"Yeah, well, good guys clearly don't wear white," he stated as they began to walk off towards Kira's Raptor Cycle.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

As the Auxiliary Zords and two of the main Biozords continued to attack Angor, Ethan looked to her teammates with worry. "Do you think Kira and Conner are alright? I mean, we haven't heard from them in awhile, man."

"First off, _not_ a man!" Kaylee exclaimed. "And secondly, who knows, maybe they've finally seen the light and decided to spend some time alone somewhere."

Even if she couldn't see it, she knew the other two were giving her pointed looks. "What? Oh c'mon, like you haven't seen it too! Their arguments? Their quirky moments? They're like an old married couple!" she exclaimed. "Y'know, without the old age or the married-ness or-Hey! Where'd the Anchor guy go?!"

It was then the Rangers realized that Angor had disappeared, and the Zords were furious.

"Something's not right," Tommy stated, while Ethan and Kaylee exchanged glances.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Kira pulled to a stop farther down the riverbank nearing the docks, and she and Conner watched as a newly formed Angor and the Dino Stegazord faced off against one another.

"Hey! They're fighting each other!" Conner exclaimed.

As Angor shot chains around the Dino Stegazord, who struggled, Dr. O, Kaylee and Ethan caught up to them.

"Hey!" Kaylee waved as they arrived.

"Hope we're not interrupting," Ethan snickered.

"Huh?" both Conner and Kira frowned, lost.

"Never mind them," Tommy shook his head, sighing, before they turned to watch the fight.

Angor was confident in his chains, and pulled them tighter as the Dino Stegazord's mechanisms creaked loudly. "Oh, you got me," he chuckled, before his Megazord began to glow white. "Not!" the chains exploded, and he reared up to attack again.

"Oh, no!" Angor groaned, as his opponent leapt through the air, swinging the sword made from the Stegazord's tail. As Angor recoiled, the White Ranger set up another attack from his Zord, this time using lasers to blast at the monster.

"That does not look pleasant," Kaylee commented, wincing as more and more blasts crashed into Angor repeatedly.

"No…it kinda looks like he's gonna…," Ethan trailed off as Angor exploded. "Blow up."

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

"I don't get it," Kira stated as they sat or stood around in the Ranger Base. "One minute the White Ranger's fighting us, and the next he's blowing up Mesogog's freaks."

"Maybe he's bipolar," Kaylee suggested. "I wanna kill them! I wanna help them!"

"Whoever he is, he could definitely use an anger management course," Ethan pointed out.

"Or maybe he could do us all a favor and go back to where he came from," Conner muttered, leaning back against the post from his position on the floor. It was obvious he was still in pain, but after trying to help him earlier and getting teased until she angrily turned tomato-colored; Kira refused to go and try to help him with his discomfort again. "Now, Dr. O, what was with that whole Super Dino Power thing?"

Dr. O got up from his spot by the computers and walked towards the teens while Hayley turned around in her chair. "Look, you guys are only beginning to access your full potential."

"I like the sound of that," Ethan grinned.

"Does that mean I'll be able to ZWOP more?" Kaylee inquired excitedly.

"When you begin accessing more aspects of your Spinosaur powers, yes," Tommy nodded.

"Sweet! Funny sound here I come!" she cried, pumping her fist into the air.

"Hey, Conner?" Kira began, looking over at the soccer player. "I just remembered, we left the fossil finder at the warehouse, didn't we?"

"Oh crap, that's right," Conner winced, looking at Tommy and Hayley. "Sorry you two, I can go back and get it if—"

"No, you're staying right where you are and resting," Kira snapped.

"She's right," Tommy nodded. "Pushy, but right. You guys go home and get some rest, I'll get the fossil finder."

"Thanks," Conner grinned, slowly getting up and the four teens started towards the stairs. The Red Ranger frowned a moment, taking his phone from his pocket. "I wonder if Trent's cool, I left him a message earlier."

"Don't worry it right now," Kira stated. "I'm sure he's fine."

Kaylee's mouth dropped at the two, and she nearly said something were it not for Ethan lightly stepping on her foot and mouthing for her to be quiet. As the other two went upstairs, she frowned at him. "I thought he was, _really wow_?"

"Apparently, not _wow_ enough when there's an injured Red Ranger around," Ethan chuckled and they laughed more as they followed their friends.

Hayley walked up to Tommy, holding out a bag. "Here you go."

"Thanks," he nodded, taking it. "I'll be back soon."

"Be careful."

"I'll be fine," he smiled before leaving, and Hayley watched him go, slightly worried.

xX-White-Thunder-Xx

Dr. O kicked down a door and stepped inside the warehouse, looking around slowly. Eventually he came across the fossil finder, which was now attached to some high tech equipment. He walked over, frowning. "What's this?" he inquired, reaching out to touch it but a crash behind stopped him as he turned.

Trent stumbled in, falling against a barrel as he moaned. "Trent!" he called, running over and trying to help him up. "You okay?"

"What's going on here?" Trent asked, squinting his eyes to keep his vision from blurring.

"Come on, we gotta get you out of here," Tommy stated, and began to pull Trent away when he cried out, arching backwards. He tried to steady him but was knocked away when the Dino Gem on Trent's wrist began to glow madly.

Dr. Oliver was knocked into a bunch of barrels and Trent fell to his knees, crying out in pain before a large flash of white took over his body. When it faded, Tommy gaped at the sight before him. "I never would've seen that coming."

"Fight or perish, Black Ranger!" the White Ranger – Trent? – cackled.

"This is not going to be pretty," Tommy muttered, morphing into the Black Ranger and pulling out his Thundermax Saber. He and the White Ranger clashed, Thundermax Saber vs. Drago Sword, but it wasn't long until Tommy was knocked back into a barrel. "We can help you!"

Ignoring him, the White Ranger kicked Dr. O away, sending him flying into some boxes before turning to do something with the technical equipment. "You're the one who needs help."

Holding up his morpher, Tommy turned on the communication as he rose to his unsteady feet. "Hayley, listen!"

"_Yeah?_"

"The White Ranger is…" Tommy got no further as a ray of orange amber was blasted at him from the White Ranger's contraption. He was suddenly frozen in the substance, unable to move or carry out his message.

"_Tommy! Come in, Tommy!"_ Hayley's voice pleaded over the com-link.

"Let's keep this our little secret," the White Ranger cackled, walking away.


	12. Truth & Consequences

**Truth and Consequences.**

"Is he okay?" Ethan inquired as Hayley ran the scanner up and down the length of the currently fossilized Doctor Oliver.

"This internal scan should be able to tell us what we need," Hayley stated.

"What's the deal? Is he frozen or something?" Kira asked.

"It's more like he's fossilized; fused into this amber-like substance."

"Can you get him out?" Conner questioned, hoping for something positive.

"Too risky," Hayley shook her head. "He's able to stay alive in there. But I'd hate to think what would happen if I broke him out."

"That's…the irony in him being fossilized…it's not even funny…," Kaylee breathed. "And I can usually laugh at…anything!"

"Yeah," Ethan muttered. "The White Ranger's got a great sense of humor."

"Personally, I've had enough of him," Kira spat, glancing up at Conner, who had almost completely recovered from his injures of his last fight with the enemy Ranger.

"Let's find out who this guy is and deal with him, now…," Conner suggested, averting his eyes from the worried look she sent his way. It brought thoughts and feelings up in his head that he didn't have time to deal with right now.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

Trent stumbled around the outer warehouse building, groaning as pain shot up inside him. His ears rang slightly and he half-tripped on his own foot, leaning against a metal moving container for support.

"I…remember," he stated guiltily as he looked at the White Dino Gem attached to his wrist. Flashes of everything that had happened to him since he'd found the gem went across his mind and he groaned as his body threatened to collapse.

He was snapped back to reality by a faint Ptera Scream in his head and blinked. "This can't be happening," he breathed.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"Maybe Hayley's got some ideas," Ethan stated as he, Kira, Kaylee and Conner walked into Cyberspace. They looked up to see the redhead rushing from one end of the counter to the other, passing drinks out left, right and center.

"Looks like she's got her hands full right now," Kaylee gulped.

"Well, let's hit the streets," Conner suggested. "I mean it's not like the White Ranger's just gonna walk in here!"

Just then, Trent pushed past the group, elbowing his way between Conner and Kira as he walked towards the bar. "Hey, Trent!" Kira greeted him happily.

"Hey…," he replied distantly, continuing on towards Hayley's counter. Her smile dropped and she looked to the floor before walking off to sit at the bar, trying to hide her momentary sadness from her friends.

"Ouch, he's acting weird," Kaylee whispered, and she exchanged a look with Ethan as Conner's hands tightened into fists. They then followed her to sit down.

"Hey!" Trent called over the bustling crowd, catching Hayley's attention.

"Hey, thank goodness, I'm getting slammed here!"

"Hayley, listen, I gotta talk to you."

"Later," she ordered as she walked back towards the Rangers, grabbing a tray of glasses as Trent followed her. "Grab a tray."

"I can't," he shook his head. "I'm quitting."

Hayley faltered and nearly dropped the tray were it not for Kaylee's hand reaching over the bar to steady it. She flashed a thankful smile her way before going off down the bar, Trent following on the outside edge. "Why? Trouble with your dad again?"

"No," he replied. "It's not that. I just…"

He sighed, seeing as she busily walked back towards the Rangers again, getting their orders while they watched the whole ordeal.

"I just have to quit!" he exclaimed, before sighing again. "I'm sorry."

Leaving Hayley looking hurt and puzzled, he set off towards the door. Frowning, Kira got up from her seat, ignoring the protests Kaylee and Conner sent after her.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she called, catching up to Trent at the door. "You're just gonna bail on Hayley like that?"

"Yeah, I know…it seems sudden."

"Don't you think you owe her some kind of explanation?" Kira inquired, hoping he understood that she wanted one too.

"You don't understand. Kira…something weird's happened. And I feel like if I don't tell someone, my head's going to explode!"

"Well what is it? You can tell me."

He hesitated, before sighing and opening his mouth to—Cassidy burst in, excusing herself not at all nicely as she stalked through the crowd and up onto stage. Glaring at the back of her head, Kira wished she could use her Ranger fighting moves to knock the annoying reporter on her butt.

"I have the scoop of the century!" Cassidy announced, stepping up to the microphone. "And as my faithful core audience, I wanted to share it with you guys first."

"What do you think this is about?" Ethan chuckled.

"Maybe she's decided to run for queen?" Kira suggested, smirking.

"Oh! Maybe she's moving far _far_ away!?" Kaylee exclaimed, and a few people around the café snickered at their answers, making Cassidy send a look of annoyance their way before continuing.

"I have uncovered the identity of the one and only White Ranger!" Cassidy cried, and as excited murmurs spread through the crowd, Trent's head snapped up, eyes full of worry. The other Rangers however, exchanged glances of pure shock.

How had _she_ managed to get to the White Ranger's identity before _they_ did? And if she knew about the White Ranger, what about them? Did she know about them, too?

"And any minute now my assistant Devin's going to come through that door with video tape evidence!" the blonde onstage pointed towards the door, where some people looked. However, nothing happened. "Any minute…"

Silence settled in the room and the reporter frowned. "Where is he?"

Devin burst through the door, looking around wildly and spotting Cassidy onstage. He waved happily and ran over to her as quickly as possible. "Hey, Cass, I'm here! Sorry, I'm late!"

"So?" she rolled her eyes as he climbed onstage. "Devin, where's your camera?"

"See…that might be just a little problem," Devin sighed.

"Only if you don't have it."

"Hehe…," he grinned sheepishly before leaning in closer to whisper something only Cassidy heard. Cassidy groaned, turning back to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentleman," she began. "It appears that the White Ranger is…"

The suspense in the café was killer, and all Rangers looked high-strung.

"…Taped on a camera that Devin stupidly loaned his sister!" she finished in vain, and everyone in the café groaned, most returning to their previous occupations. "But when he gets it back I'll be sure to let you know!"

"So, Trent…," Kira started, wanting to resume their earlier conversation. "What was it you wanted to…?"

She turned, realizing he was gone, and scanned the café with her eyes, finding no sign of him. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she returned to her spot with the others.

"He bail on you?" Kaylee asked sympathetically.

"Yeah…again…," the musician frowned, shrugging. "Whatever. If he doesn't want to tell me, he just has to say it. He doesn't have to go and…never mind."

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"It's happening…again…," Trent moaned, swaying profusely as he clutched the wrist with the Dino Gem. He struggled for control, but it was no use. The Gem glowed as it won the upper hand and he was forced to morph.

"Now, that's better!" the White Ranger smirked, walking around the dock's warehouses. A weird sound caught his attention and he glanced left as Elsa and Zeltrax teleported in through a bright flash of swirling purple. "Looks like I've got company."

"We have a special invitation for you!" Elsa called. "From Mesagog."

"His only command; join him or be destroyed," Zeltrax added, fists clenched.

"I don't know how many times I have to say it," the White Ranger laughed. "I'm not interested."

"Maybe this will change your mind," Zeltrax growled, sending waves of bright blue electricity in the direction of the Ranger, before he and Elsa drew their weapons and charged. Drago Sword in hand, the White Ranger met them halfway.

He easily dodged Zeltrax's attack, knocking the man away as Elsa came in close with her sword, locking it against the Drago Sword. "Haven't we met?" the Ranger taunted, making her hiss in anger as he twisted her around, flooring her.

He then turned to meet Zeltrax again, parrying all his sword attacks and kicking him in the gut. He slashed him across the chest as well and it sent him flying into a pack of barrels as Elsa ran up, attempting some ninja-karate-anger-management-type on him that basically did nothing before he kicked her backwards into the arms of the newly rising Zeltrax.

"You guys are a joke!" the White Ranger cackled as four other Rangers rode up on Raptor Cycles and glances shifted their way.

"Great, that's all we need!" Elsa muttered.

"Don't look so happy to see us," Kaylee commented, before noticing the White Ranger was there as well, facing off Zeltrax and Elsa. "Uh…this is messed but…who's side do we pick?"

"Good question," Ethan nodded slowly.

"We'll make it easy for you!" Elsa yelled before she and Zeltrax warped out in a flash of purple.

"If you had any sense, you'd run too," the White Ranger turned to them.

"After what you did?" Conner growled, fists clenching.

"Dream on!" Kira nodded, summoning her Ptera Grips. Ethan and Kaylee were first up, Spino Whip and Tricera Shield in hand as they dueled their enemy.

Unfortunately, it seemed he didn't mind the pain that came with grasping Kaylee's spiked whip really hard, as he pulled her forward with extreme force, flipping her onto the ground as he smashed her into Ethan.

Conner was next, using his Thundermax Saber since it was in-close fighting. He leapt through the air, and clashed swords with the White Ranger. Conner may have possessed many skills, but sword-fighting or fencing? Nope, wasn't really one of 'em.

He too was taken out, slashed across the chest three times before he was kicked away.

Last came the Yellow Ranger, who held her own for a time even with all the hits she took, barreling into the White Ranger with her Ptera Grips and trying to stab him. As she swung her daggers forward, he blocked them with his Drago Sword, and pushed her in reverse until her back connected with the warehouse wall. Hard.

She cried out, but took the pain as he kept her pinned there and leaned forward. "Had enough?"

She looked to her friends, who were lying around, holding the places they'd been hit most and her hurt expression turned into one of fury. "Hardly!" She yelled. "Super Dino Mode!"

The Ptera Scream ripped through the air as the spikes on her uniform grew into realistic versions of the design they'd just been, and as she held her Ptera Grips straight out, leathery wings formed between her sides and underarms.

She swung her arms up, knocking his arms away and kicking him to the ground. As he rolled backwards and pushed himself to his feet, she leapt over him, flapping her leathery wings and wrapping her feet around his neck.

She then proceeded to drag him back, smashing him into every possible object she could find along the way. After a few feet, she dropped him into a stack of barrels and continued on.

"You'll pay for that!" he hissed, getting to his feet and creating arrows in the air. As she flew back his way, he let loose the projectiles, and they smashed into her repeatedly, causing her to lose her altitude and come crashing down.

Conner and Ethan jumped in front, having recovered. Drawing their Thundermax Lasers, they fired two different colored blasts at the White Ranger, who merely, with a flick of his wrist and Drago Sword, send them back.

The resulting explosion knocked the Rangers off their feet, and Kaylee stepped in this time. "No more beating up my friends!" she yelled, channeling inner power. "Super Dino Mode!"

The white spikes along her uniform grew as well, but larger, sharper and fuller ones grew along her back, molding together to form the same form of Spinal Fin that a Spinosaurus had. She grinned, flexing her muscles as she felt the spikes follow her every move.

She looked back at the White Ranger, and then took a running jump at him, spinning into a ball formation in the air, where her Spinal Fin was prominently sticking out and ripped at him, slashing him across the chest and causing sparks to erupt.

Growling angrily, he turned, watching her land, before sending a blast of arrows her way that took her off her feet. Once down, he readied another blast, only to be shot in the back by a laser again. He turned slowly, glaring as he found the Yellow Ranger, on her feet again, laser pointed directly at him.

"You're a little too persistent, and I think it's about time we tone that down a bit," he muttered, creating the biggest volley of arrows he ever had. "FIRE!"

They ripped through the air, smashing into the Yellow Ranger over and over again, each adding another painful stab into an already bruised body. She cried out as the force of the exploding arrows hurtled her through the air.

She crashed onto the pavement, groaning and willing to keep her strength, but it was too much, and she de-morphed. Although her three fellow Rangers attempted to stand in his way, the White Ranger calmly slashed them away, heading over to her as she clutched her stomach.

"I never did like the colour Yellow," he stated, tightening his glove as he crouched down beside Kira, who was stretched out in pain. "Well, Yellow Ranger, time to say goodbye."

He grabbed onto her wrist tightly, twisting it painfully as he wrenched her to a sitting position. He raised his fist to punch her, but froze when she looked up at him, face slightly twisted in pain and hatred.

"Huh?" he paused, his voice softening a moment as images of the girl, Kira, and moments she shared with Trent flashed across his mind. "Kira?"

She frowned, but didn't react as he lowered his fist. "I…I…Ah!"

Jumping to his feet, Trent and the evil White Gem battled for control, and it sent rivulets of pain through his head. He cursed, holding his head, and it was enough for the other three Rangers to gather their forces.

"Ready?" Conner inquired, itching to beat the crap outta this guy.

"Oh yeah!" Ethan nodded, and together the two shouted "Super Dino Mode!"

Kaylee, who was still in her Super Dino Mode, watched as the white spikes grew on the uniforms of both boys, the horns on Ethan's helmet grew bigger and sharper, and a glowing red power circled around Conner.

Both boys ran forward, Kaylee with them, and launched themselves at the disoriented White Ranger, knocking him to the ground. As he stood up slowly, they tag-teamed, kicking and punching and sending sparks flying from the White Ranger's body until one massive explosion of power went off, sending the injured enemy Ranger to his knees.

They all powered out of Super Dino Mode, watching him. "I'll be back!" he swore, before running off. The boys started after him, but a call from Kaylee held them back.

"We'll be waiting!" Conner vowed, fists clenched, before he, Ethan and Kaylee powered down. He turned, noticing Kira struggling to get to her feet and rushed over, the other two behind him. He and Ethan helped her up, but whereas Ethan let go, Conner kept his hand on the small of her back, worriedly steadying her in case she fell again.

Watching, Kaylee smiled. "You alright?"

"I think so," Kira nodded, offering a weak smile that betrayed her pain as she held her wrist with one hand. "I'll be fine."

"Well, now it's your turn for the wrist being injured," Kaylee commented, and though it was lost on the boys, Kira got it, chuckling slightly.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"Trent? Is that you?" Kira inquired as she slowly walked towards the small lake clearing, a place she often went to write music or clear her head. The guy sitting on the bench looked up, closing his sketchbook as she sat down beside him. "Hey, where'd you go?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just taken off like that," he told her.

"Look, I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

He sighed, opening his sketchbook to a recent few drawings of the White Ranger.

"Trent," she scoffed. "If you're gonna dream about being a superhero, the White Ranger is _not_ who you wanna be."

"I wish I had a choice!" he exclaimed.

"What are you saying?" she frowned, as fear pounded in her chest. He glanced up from his sketchbook, offering a sad and pain look, before reaching his arm out, revealing the White Dino Gem bracelet on his left wrist.

"You?!" she exclaimed, and as he nodded, her frown turned into a furious glare. "But you almost annihilated me!"

"But I didn't! Look, once I knew it was you—"

She cut him off by standing up quickly, and he reached out to grab her hand and stop her. "Let go of me!" she snapped, wrenching her arm free of his grasp.

"Kira, I couldn't help it!" he told her. "The Gem…it's changed me. I can't take it off or control what I'm doing. You gotta believe me…"

He stepped closer to her, but she shook her head slightly, keeping her distance. "Why should I?"

"Because I would never intentionally hurt anyone, Kira," he sighed, his voice full of sadness and regret. "Especially you."

"Okay," she gave in, because the tone of his voice and the pained look on his face struck chords in her heart. "I think I know some people who can help…I'm gonna get Conner, Kaylee and Ethan."

"Why them?" he frowned.

"Well…because…," she trailed off, hoping it was obvious.

"Wait a minute, them too?"

"Hard to believe, but true. And I mean…hello…our color-schemes?" she nodded, before sighing and returning to a serious tone. "Look, I need you to wait here till I come back!"

"Okay," he promised, before she ran off. He sighed, hoping Kira's words were true and that the others would help him. He had a funny feeling that at least one wouldn't be too pleased to accept, and he figured that Conner would probably never trust him again after that last battle where he'd been so set upon taking Kira out as the White Ranger.

He set to work on another sketch to clear his head, when a net came crashing down over him and he was pulled to his feet by a horde of Tyrannodrones. The bench fell over and his sketches went flying to the ground as he was pulled further away.

"What do you want?" he yelled. "Let go of me!"

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"Trent?" Ethan frowned. "Oh, there's no way!"

"Well if this isn't déjà-vu," Kaylee frowned, thinking back to her sister and Blake's whole good Ranger/bad Ranger thing. "Is this a common theme among Ranger teams?"

"Nice," Conner scoffed, coming up to the group. "Pretending to be our friend one minute, and kicking our butts the next! I can't believe I fell for it!"

"I told you, he can't help it!" Kira protested, frowning at Conner's newfound hatred for Trent, when he'd always been cool with him before. "The Gem is too powerful."

"Stop defending him!" Conner snapped, pointing over her shoulder. "Kira, where is your head? Look at what he did to Dr.O!"

She winced at his attitude, before turning to see the fossilized Black Ranger a little ways away. She turned back to her friends, seeing a look of disappointment on Ethan's face, worry on Kaylee's and anger on Conner's. Instead, she turned to the redhead standing with them. "Hayley?" she inquired. "He needs our help.

"I don't know if there's anything I can do," she sighed. "But I'll try."

The redhead turned towards the staircase, followed by Kira, and the other three Rangers. When Kira threw them a look, Conner merely scoffed. "What, you think we're not coming along? I've got some stuff I'd like to say to that guy."

"Us too," Kaylee and Ethan nodded, but where Conner's statement held aggression, the Blue Ranger's only held a sigh and Kaylee's held sympathy and understanding towards the Yellow Ranger. Kira knew why – she'd been through this before. But she couldn't very well say that with the guys around.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"He was supposed to wait right here!" Kira exclaimed as they ran up to the lake clearing, spotting the overturned bench. She found the sketchbook and picked it up, examining it.

"There's a surprise," Ethan muttered. "He lied to us again."

Kaylee nudged him, and gave him a reprimanding look that shut him up as Conner stepped up to the Yellow Ranger.

"Kira, I'm telling you; Trent _can't_ be trusted," he stated, and she looked up from the book to the worried and pleading face of the Red Ranger. Indecision was etched on her face.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"I'm picking up White Ranger signal!" Hayley called, and the four Rangers dispersed around the Ranger Base ran to the computer, watching intently over her shoulder. They saw the White Ranger jump onscreen and call forth the Dragozord and Stegozord, jumping into them to form the Dino Stegozord.

"Great, major Megazord action right off the bat," Ethan groaned.

"Why couldn't he have a sucky Zord?" Kaylee muttered. "Or better yet, why couldn't _his_ Zord have been lost in the mail forever like mine used to be?"

"Well, this might be a good time to use a new Dinozord," Hayley stated.

"Let's do it!" Conner nodded and he, Ethan and Kaylee got into formation, an uncertain Kira following them. Kaylee and Ethan raised their morphers at the ready, but Conner signaled them to wait as he turned his shorter dirty blonde counterpart. "Look, Kira, we've gotta do whatever it takes to stop him…you know that, right? He needs to be stopped, and we've gotta do it."

"I know," she sighed.

"Even if you know who's under that suit now?" Conner inquired, meeting her hazel eyes with his caramel-colored ones.

"I don't like it, but we don't have a choice," Kira nodded, seeing the determination and sympathy that his eyes demonstrated, even if moments ago they'd been filled with anger and frustration. "I'm with you."

"Alright," he stated, and wondered if she knew of the hope and courage she'd just given him with those three small words. He returned to formation, ignoring the heat in his cheeks as he raised his morpher, willing himself to stop thinking about it. "Ready?"

"Ready!" the others nodded.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

The Rangers ran across the open parking lot, rushing towards the Zords Hayley had manually called forth. Spotting their Biozords they jumped into the air, quickly forming the Megazord. As they and the Dino Stegazord faced one another from opposing ends of the street, Hayley sent the Ankylozord to the battle.

"A new Dinozord, huh?" the White Ranger inquired. "I'll add it to my collection."

"I don't think so!" Conner yelled, and both Megazords marched towards the Auxiliary Zord in the middle, rushing to get there first. The Dino Stegazord grabbed the tail, and the Megazord held the head, pulling towards one another.

Fed up, the Ankylozord snapped at the head arm of the Megazord holding it, and spun its tail like a drill in the hand of the Dino Stegazord holding it. Both Zord formations dropped it, falling over backwards into the streets.

As the Auxiliary Zord got out of the way, the Megazords rushed forward to clash with one another. Sparks flew between both Zord formations as hits landed all over. As her friends steered the Megazord to battle the Dino Stegazord, Kaylee grabbed her morpher, finding the Ankylozord with her mind.

"I know Dr. O usually does this, but he's not here right now," she spoke softly. "So, if you could please help us, we'd be grateful. We won't treat you bad, and there's no way I want you to be mind controlled by the guy who's Ranger color isn't even a color!"

The Ankylozord's eyes flashed and it thundered forward when the Megazord fell to the ground. It raised it's tail and fired off a powerful laser that smashed into the Dino Stegazord, knocking it back a few paces.

"Awesome!" Kaylee grinned as the Megazord got to its feet. "Alright guys, I think the little orange guy's on our side!"

"Well then, let's see what he can do," Ethan nodded.

"Ankylozord, weapon formation!" Kaylee called, and the small orange Zord bounded forward, molding itself into the Megazord's formation. It replaced her Spinozord arm, creating a large spear-like arm with a sharp spinning disc at its side.

When the Dino Stegazord fired off lasers at them, Kaylee directed the Ankylozord arm to block it, the spinning disc acting like a reflective mirror as the lasers bounced off and were sent back from whence they came, smashing into the Dino Stegazord.

As it faltered through the explosions and sparks, the Megazord ran forward, spearing it with the Ankylozord arm, then the Tyrannozord arm. "Thundersaurus Megazord! Double Drill Attack!"

Both the Tyrannozord arm and the Ankylozord arm were thrust into action again, spinning faster and faster as they were smashed against the Dino Stegazord. Electricity sparked between the weapons as they battered their opponent, until one final hit from the Ankylozord arm was all it took to send the Dino Stegazord into the ground.

"Don't think this is over!" the White Ranger vowed as his Megazord broke apart into the two separate pieces and he, along with his Zords, vanished.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

"Take a look at this!" Ethan laughed, pointing at a page in his video game magazine, showing it to Kaylee, who sat on a stool beside him at the bar. "It's a new game out this week!"

"You don't seem excited at all," she laughed, wondering how he could've gone from angry that Trent was the White Ranger, to extremely happy in such a short time. She glanced a little ways away at the couches, where their Red Ranger sat, being the complete opposite of happy.

She sighed and shook her head. "He should say something," she pointed out, and Ethan followed her gaze. "I mean, look at him, he's totally miserable."

"Well he did just find out that his competition for saving the world is the same as the one for Kira's heart," Ethan stated.

"Shh!" she hissed, covering his mouth with her hand. "Don't say that too loud! He'll hear you! And then he'll go off into his annoying denial speech of doom!"

Ethan said something against her hand, but she didn't understand it so she pulled her hand away, frowning. "Huh?"

"I said; what are we gonna do, let him be miserable knowing Kira's gone off to find Trent?"

"No, I guess we shouldn't," she shrugged, jumping off the stool. "C'mon, let's go keep him company so he doesn't drown himself in resentment, sorrow and frustration."

"Amen to that," Ethan chuckled, following.

xX-Truth-and-Consequences-Xx

Kira sighed, watching the family of ducks bob for food in the lake. She held one of Trent's White Ranger drawings in her hands, and stared at it intently, wishing that it could all be a nightmare, just a horrible dream that had never happened.

"I thought I might find you here," a voice said and she turned to see Trent standing there, smiling a little sadly.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" she questioned.

"I did, it's just…it's a long story," he stated, looking down at the drawing she held. "You know it's funny – I always thought it would be cool to be a superhero. But…this isn't how I'd draw myself."

"Look, let us help you," she stated, but he shook his head.

"I don't think the others wanna help me anymore, Kira," he sighed. "After what I did…after all the pain I put you through, do you honestly think your friends wanna help me?"

"Ethan and Kaylee do," Kira told him. "Ethan doesn't wanna lose a friend, and Kaylee wants to make things right; make sure past mistakes don't repeat themselves."

"And Conner?" Trent chuckled darkly. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't wanna help. I'm pretty sure he'd rather have me permanently transform into the Evil White Ranger so he could kick the crap outta me for hurting you."

"Don't say that!" Kira scolded.

"It's the truth!"

"I don't care! Before this…he thought you were a cool guy, and…it might take him some time, but I think he'd be fine with helping you get rid of the White Ranger. I _know_ he would."

"You sure about that?" he inquired, looking her in the eyes.

"I…I…," she stammered, knowing that maybe it wasn't true. "Maybe…but…I know that he'll just have to deal with it. I'll talk him out of his hatred, you watch."

"No…I can't," Trent shook his head. "The Gem's already taken over just like he said."

"He?" she frowned, aware that Conner hadn't said such a thing yet.

"It doesn't matter. I have to go away. It's not safe to be around me."

"But—"

"Look, I said no!" he yelled, snatching the drawing from her hands and walking off. He tossed the drawing into the water and left, leaving an emotionally hurt and broken Yellow Ranger to watch him go – tears threatening to fall from her eyes.


	13. Leader of the Whack

**_Leader of the Whack._**

With his huge backpack, Trent stumbled through a forest not that far from the central part of Reefside, wanting to get out of town as soon as possible. Sweating, panting and struggling to keep hold of his own mind, he brought a GPS out of his pocket.

Staring at it, he shook his head. "I gotta get further away," he stated, looking at the glowing White Dino Gem attached to his left wrist. "It's not safe."

"Hold it there White Ranger!" someone yelled and Trent ducked into the ditch beside a tree, eyes wide and full of fear. He leaned out from behind the tree, looking up onto the hill where he saw Cassidy and Devin standing.

"No, don't worry, Cass, it's just Trent," Devin chuckled.

"Man," Trent sighed, standing up. "You scared me half to death."

"Whatever, I thought you were the White Ranger!" Cassidy snapped.

"Me?" Trent laughed. "You're kidding; right?"

"No, I didn't actually think _you_ were the White Ranger," Cassidy elaborated. "I thought—"

"LOOK OUT!" Trent shouted, pointing behind them and they ducked as a huge meteor went flying past, its purple trail following it as it crashed nearby, causing a massive explosion. Cassidy and Devin rolled down the hill, landing at Trent's feet as he stared after the meteor. "What the heck was that?"

"A low flying spaceship?" Devin suggested.

"I dunno but whatever it was just landed over there!" Cassidy pointed to the smoke filling out of a crater. "Grab your camera!"

"Wait!" Trent protested, holding them back. "It could be dangerous."

"Danger's my middle name," Cassidy smiled before running off.

"I thought it was Agnes?" Devin frowned, following.

"I'm gonna regret this," Trent sighed, picking up his backpack and following them.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"How're you doing?" Conner inquired, sitting down beside Kira as she strummed at her guitar, working on a new song.

"What do you mean?" she retorted, and both knew very well that she knew he was referring to the incident with Trent a few days ago.

"C'mon, Kira, we both know you get it," he stated, and she sighed, looking up at him.

"Can we not talk about this, please?" she asked. "I'm busy."

"Busy turning your hurt feelings into another layer of your emotional defenses?"

Her eyes narrowed and he knew he was treading on unstable territory. "Look, just because you're so quick to admit your feelings about things, or turn your trust for Trent into hatred, doesn't mean I have to be."

He chuckled darkly, wishing he could tell her how wrong she was, but decided it was a bad idea. She had enough on her plate at the moment, and he wasn't even sure it would come out right.

"I'm just saying that you're gonna need someone to talk to about it," he offered, and she glanced towards another part of the Ranger Base where Kaylee sat writing lyrics.

"What makes you say it won't be Kaylee?" Kira inquired. "She might understand more and not jump into the '_Trent's bad you have to hate him to_o' speech I've gotten…how many times now?"

"Kira, please, I'm not trying to make you hate him. I'm just trying to make you see that holding out for him isn't such a good idea anymore. He told you himself that he didn't think he could control the Gem much longer. That's why he left; he didn't wanna make things worse."

"He left because he didn't want to hurt any of us!" she snapped. "He left because he wants to stop the transformation, because he's pretty sure that not _all_ of us will be welcoming to try and help him if he stays!"

"Then the Gem hasn't totally affected his logical sense yet," Conner muttered, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Why do you bother trying to make me feel better, when you know you only make things worse?" she asked, and his eyes widened.

_Ouch_. That one hurt.

"I…I…," he stammered, before sighing. "Look, you may think my only goal is to make you hate Trent, but it's not. I wanna make you feel better, and prepare you in case he does come back evil, because you've been hurt enough by this already. And I hate seeing you hurt."

She frowned as he walked off. He'd really seemed sincere just then. Really and truly, and all traces of the ego-centric jock he normally was had faded away during their conversation. Sensing walls of her defenses falling that shouldn't, she picked back up her guitar, knowing she needed to concentrate on anything but the conversation they'd just had.

"Kira, I got something!" Kaylee grinned as she bounced over, and Kira looked up with a smile – it was nice to have someone with such innocence like Kaylee to take away from the confusing and conflicting feelings that she'd been dealt.

As the Green Ranger sat down to go over song lyrics, the dirty blonde glanced after the tall soccer star as he found his small red soccer ball and began doing keep-ups around the room.

"McKnight, on a breakaway!" Conner narrated, going around the other part of the Ranger Base. Ethan sat at his laptop playing a video game and Hayley was busy scanning the fossilized Dr. O in case of breakthroughs.

"Hayley! One more level and I break my all-time record!" Ethan stated proudly, and Conner looked up over the side of a box, grinning. Aiming, he tossed his little red soccer ball, causing it to hit the ESCAPE key on the laptop, which shut off the game.

Chuckling, he went to retrieve it as Ethan groaned. "Conner!" the computer geek whined. "Now I have to start all over!"

"Sorry," the Red Ranger chuckled, not sorry at all, patting Ethan on the back. "Y'know, there's this great new thing called the outdoors. You might wanna check it out."

"Tell you what," Ethan smirked as they walked to a part of the Ranger Base near the girls. "I'll check that out when you check out a library."

"Heh," Conner grinned, glancing over at Kira as she strummed away on her guitar, making Kaylee scribble down notes every now and then. "You've got as much chance of seeing that as seeing Kaylee grow up..."

"Hey!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"..Or Kira at a fashion show," Conner finished.

"Do you _really_ wanna go there?" Kira snapped, looking up from her guitar. Conner gulped, looking back to Ethan, who chuckled and patted him on the shoulder before walking off.

"Nice," he shook his head, as he walked found Hayley. "So, any luck of de-fossilizing Dr. O?"

"Not yet," the redhead sighed. "I just can't find an energy source that can safely break the molecular bonds of the amber."

"Uh, huh?" Kaylee frowned, looking over.

"She can't find anything to make him un-stuck," Ethan laughed, translating.

"I'm glad there's always someone to do that for me!" she giggled, remembering how Leanne had always translated Cam's confusing terms.

Suddenly the computer's alarm went off and a tracking program came onscreen. The Rangers got up to follow Hayley as she went over and sat down. "That's weird," she stated as a large purple glow appeared amidst a see of green trees. "The satellite's picking up a strange reading from the forest."

"Let's go take a look," Conner offered, and she nodded as the other three followed him out.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"We're the first on the scene!" Cassidy exclaimed gleefully as she, Devin and Trent arrived at the crater where the meteor had landed. "There it is! Devin, start rolling!"

"Careful," Trent warned, but Cassidy pushed her cameraman forward.

"It's harmless!" she insisted. "Now get a close-up!"

"You sure Cass?" he frowned. "I mean…its still smoking. Oh…looks good on camera though."

"What do you think it is?" she inquired, and as Trent crouched at the edge of the crater to examine it, he was forced to hide his wrist in his sleeve when his Dino Gem began to pulse bright white light.

"It's hard to say…," Devin stated.

"Trent?" Kira frowned, and the former Cyberspace busboy looked up to see her approaching, followed closely by Conner, Kaylee and Ethan.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, standing up.

"I might ask you the same thing," Conner seethed. "Haven't seen you around for a while."

As the Red Ranger took a menacing step forward, Kira placed a hand on his chest, keeping him from moving. "Not now," she pleaded, and he looked down into her hazel eyes – a big mistake on his part, as he found himself stepping back.

"Kira's right," he stated, looking up.

"Sucker," Kaylee laughed under her breath.

"Now, let's check this thing out," Ethan suggested, taking a step towards the meteor.

"Um, I don't think I'm supposed to let you do that," a monster gurgled and the group looked over to see a horde of Tyrannodrones and a funny looking creature had just appeared.

"Quick, run!" Cassidy yelled, and she and Devin took off as more Tyrannodrones encircled the group of Rangers. They hid behind a tree, turning to watch what would happen.

"You want me to get this?" he offered, bringing up his camera.

"Hideous mutant creatures?" she scoffed. "Like that's news in this town. Let's get outta here!"

They ran off, and were unaware as two purple strands of energy drifted out from the meteor, following them and slipping into their bodies as they buggered off. The Rangers were left in a circle of Tyrannodrones, and despite Kira's warning, Conner glanced across the meteor crater at the still-civilian White Ranger.

"Who's side you on today, Trent?" he inquired acidly.

"You want my help, or not?" Trent countered.

"If it's all the same, I'll just watch from over here!" the cowardly monster stated as the Tyrannodrones rushed forward. The Rangers dispersed around the pit, taking on a handful of lizard creatures each.

Even in civilian form the Tyrannodrones were no match for the Rangers, as they knocked back a whole wave of them within minutes. As more came, Kira's Dino Gem bracelet beeped, and she turned on the com-link. "Go."

"_Guys, I've been analyzing the radiation from that rock and it's really freaky. Get away from it_!"

"It's a little late for that!" Kira replied, kicking a monster in the gut and knocking it to the ground. She was close enough to the pit to hear the monster rambling on, as was Kaylee, and both girls looked up to see the meteor shoot purple energy at the creature.

It stood up, voice deeper and more menacing than before. "Hey, I wanna piece of the action!" it yelled, and rushed towards Conner, who had his back turned as he battled Tyrannodrones.

"Conner!" Kira called, but it came too late as the monster smashed its thick mace-like arm into his back. He cried out as he rolled forward, and kept his momentum up to get back to his knees at least despite the pain in his back. She, Kaylee and Ethan joined him, and the singer placed a hand on his shoulder without noticing it.

"Um, I'm confused. Wasn't he a total coward like two seconds ago?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yeah, that rock's got some freaky mojo in it apparently," Ethan nodded.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Conner stated, standing up slowly.

"Yeah," the others nodded, and their morphers flashed into place as they raised their wrists.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Attack!" the monster yelled as the morphed Rangers came at him. Tyrannodrones against civilians? Pretty easy. Tyrannodrones against Rangers? Easy as pie.

While the four Rangers easily fended off a bunch of Tyrannodrones, Trent fought against another few near the meteor, still in civilian form because he knew what would happen if he changed – and there was no way he was going through with that again.

He was so into the fight that he didn't notice as a purple beam shot up from the meteor, passing into his body as he ducked the bunch of a monster. He pushed away another Tyrannodrone, before he swayed and began to feel light-headed.

His vision blurred and his eyes widened. "Oh no…," he breathed.

As he grabbed his backpack, the meteor sent four more beams of purple out from it, each one spiriting away and into the body of the other Rangers as they fought. They faltered in fighting a moment, before kicking it up a notch.

The monster took a few steps back along with his drones, as the Rangers regrouped. "I'll be back for round two!" it shouted, before disappearing in a flash of purple.

"Power Down!" the Rangers yelled, and did just that.

"Well that was a challenging altercation," Conner stated.

"I was just getting started!" Ethan complained. "I wanted to annihilate that goon!"

"Ew!" Kira exclaimed, looking at her nails. "I got dirt under my nails! That's like, totally disgusting!"

"And I'd like a nap," Kaylee commented, yawning. "Can we please go home now?"

"Hey, where'd Trent go?" Conner frowned, looking around. Suddenly, their Dino Gem bracelets went off, and Hayley told them to go back to base.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"It's actually a meteor fragment," Hayley told them as the image onscreen depicted the rock they'd been sent to investigate.

"Fascinating," Conner grinned and Hayley's face twisted in confusion as she watched him walk off, thinking aloud. "It must have broken off during some sort of galactic collision."

He paused, seeing the confused looks the others were giving him as well. "What?"

"I'm just afraid coming in such close proximity to it might have some strange side effects," Hayley confessed worriedly. "D'you guys feel okay?"

Ethan ignored her, starting at his arms as he flexed them, Kaylee yawned and Kira grimaced.

"I for one am going home," the Yellow Ranger stated. "If I don't swab my cuticles in an aloe bath, my nails will _never_ grow back."

"I gotta hit the gym," Ethan added. "Gonna work on my pecks."

"I wanna get home to watch that great documentary on the pyramids," Conner put in. "It looks quite fascinating."

"Whatever," Kaylee sighed, bored. "I'm going to go back to mine and Victoria's place, find a nice romantic comedy to watch, and curl up by the fire with something warm to drink, and a tea cozy. I don't even know what a tea cozy is, but I would like one."

The others nodded and together the Rangers left. Hayley watched them go, worry etched onto her features. "Uh-oh."

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

The next day, Hayley paced around the Ranger Base, watching as Ethan, now decked out in sweats, lifted weights. "Sup Hayley?" he grinned.

"Ethan, are you sure you feel okay?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm pumped and ready to rock!" he shouted happily, just as Conner came in looking…like a complete studious college boy?

His red shirt was buttoned up for once, and he was wearing a suit jacket over it? As well as black dress pants and shoes. This…this just wasn't right!

"Good morning, all," he greeted, walking up. "The weather is particularly pleasant today. Excessively low humidity."

"Whatever bro," Ethan chucked. "How to my arms look? Am I ripped or what?"

"You look no different than yesterday, Ethan," Kaylee sighed, walking in from the secret panel that led to the tunnels.

"Kaylee, did you just come in from the tunnels?" Hayley frowned.

"Yes, why?" the blonde raised an eyebrow simply to humor their technical genius.

"You usually hate those tunnels because of your Claustrophobia," the redhead replied.

"Pfft, what a lame fear," Kaylee snorted rudely. "I mean, what kind of a baby is afraid of small spaces? Sometimes, you gotta grow up and smell the paperwork."

The eyes of the others watched her, and frowned as she was clad in pale blue pj's.

"What?" she eyed them lazily as she flopped onto the computer chair, rolling around slowly. "Didn't feel like getting dressed this morning. Apparently everything in my wardrobe holds some teenager's punk theme to it, and all my pajamas are childish, so I borrowed something off of Victoria when she wasn't looking."

"Isn't that like, stealing?" Kira's voice floated down the stairs and everyone turned to see her walking down the steps, a multitude of shopping bags around either wrist. Her hair was in a neat ponytail and her bangs were kept out her face with a yellow headband. Also, she wore a spaghetti strap yellow summer dress and high heels.

"G-Good morning, Kira," Conner stammered.

"Hello!" she grinned, coming over through a girly walk. "Sorry I'm late; there was a sale and I just couldn't, well, you understand."

"Hey," Ethan spoke up, still lifting weights. "You guys think I'm ready for the Iron Man competition?"

"No," Kaylee scoffed. "I think you're ready for some homework, young man."

"I think there were _definitely_ side effects from that meteor," Hayley realized, shaking her head. "We need to destroy that rock and get you guys back to normal."

"Huh?" Ethan frowned, lost.

"Side effects," Conner's interest peaked. "I find that highly improbable."

"Yeah, I feel like I could kick Mesogog's butt myself," Ethan nodded.

Suddenly, the computer alarm went off, blaring in Kaylee's ears. She groaned, turning around and finding a key to mute it. "Sorry," she apologized. "That noise is irritating."

Hayley rolled her eyes, and the image of the monster from earlier appeared onscreen as he sent small lasers blasts at the ground. "Look whose back." She walked over to the computer, but Kaylee refused to budge, so she typed away beside her.

The others exchanged glances, before dropping books, weights and shopping bags onto the floor and standing in formation.

"Ready?" Conner asked hesitantly.

"Ready!" Ethan and Kira agreed, after the latter had made sure her headband was on properly.

"Not ready," Kaylee drawled. "How about you do this one without me? I'm not really in the mood for these childish games anymore, and I think I'd rather go take a nap."

"But Kaylee, we need you!" Kira whined, her voice reaching a high girly pitch. "Its like, _so_ not a team without everybody!"

"I'll watch your shopping bags for you," the blonde offered, spinning in the chair and staring absently at the ceiling.

"Deal!" Kira grinned, before holding her morpher up like the guys.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

The Rangers arrived just as the monster went about blowing up a flowerpot.

"Let's devise a strategy of attack," Conner suggested.

"I've got a strategy," Ethan cracked his knuckles. "We crush him!"

"The lines on my suit are so completely wrong!" Kira whined, looking her uniform over. "Why doesn't anyone make superhero costumes for petite?"

"Colorful annoyances!" the monster yelled, turning to face them. "Prepare to be destroyed!"

"Uh, how many times have we heard _that_?" Kira scoffed, annoyed, and the next thing out of her mouth was a girlish scream as lasers brought the Red Ranger beside her off his feet.

"That was totally uncalled for!" Conner exclaimed, before looking up at Kira. He put out a hand, because normally they helped each other up. "Kira, a hand?"

"I know just know I'm going to have the _worst_ helmet hair after this!" she groaned.

She and Ethan yelled loudly as more lasers were fired, and they too wound up on the ground.

"You're no match for me silly suckers!" the monster cackled. "Later, posers!"

And with a flash of purple – the monster was gone.

"I told you we should've thought this out!" Conner complained as they got up.

"My business – you go big, or you go home," Ethan challenged.

"Well, I say we go to the mall," Kira stated and all three stalked off in different directions.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

Conner nearly tripped over a barstool as he walked up to the counter at Cyberspace, nose in his books. He frowned, looking up to see a dressed-up Devin Del Valle onstage with disco lights and music, dancing away as a crowd of girls (a nerdy Cassidy included) swarmed at the edge of the stage.

A little ways away, Ethan was doing a series of arduous push-ups, his trusty weights close-by.

And the doors swung open as Kira – still wearing her spaghetti strap summer dress and high heels – came in, more and more shopping bags in hand.

Before any of these three could move, their Dino Gem bracelets went off. Kira rolled her eyes, stalking out, Ethan growled and got to his feet, bringing his weights with him and Conner slammed his books shut, groaning as they left.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"Hey guys," Hayley greeted as they walked in, and noticed she kneeled in front of the super computer. They frowned at this, but noticed that Kaylee sat in the corner of the room, snoring loudly as she leaned back in the rolling chair, the floor around her covered by shopping bags.

"What now?" Ethan snapped. "I was having a super intense work-out!"

"And I was right in the middle of a very compelling biography!" Conner added.

"And I was getting more fabulous clothes for my totally, like, _boring_ and disgustingly punk wardrobe!" Kira whined, swishing her shopping bags to add emphasis.

"And I was taking a nap until you three walked in, making so much noise!" Kaylee groaned from the corner of the room, sitting up slowly. "The Hell?"

"I've found something," Hayley stated, ignoring their whining.

"Is this gonna involve dirt?" Kira inquired, grimacing. "Cuz if it does, I'm gonna have to say: _nuh-uh_."

"Sorry I interrupted your busy day," Hayley snapped, turning to face them as she stood. "I just thought you might like to know I think I've found a way to un-fossilize Doctor Oliver."

"Really?" all the teens were wide-eyed.

"The meteor fragment," Hayley elaborated. "My theory is that it frees your inner self. That's why you guys are acting so weird."

"Weird?" Kaylee frowned. "Excuse me, but I've never felt so adult and comfortable in my life!"

"That's because, you're like, eighteen!" Kira retorted. "And normally don't act your age!"

"Of course! If you could, harness its power you could, free Doctor Oliver from the inside-out!" Conner smiled, ignoring them, before pushing up his glasses. "Although, I do take offense at being called weird."

"Sorry," Hayley apologized. "You're not being weird…it's just that the rock is allowing you to show a side of yourself that you don't usually show."

"A recessive personality trait!" Conner exclaimed in awe.

"You could say that," Hayley nodded. "Like Conner; there's a part of you that's intelligent, studious. Ethan; there's a part of you that's athletic, even competitive. Kira; a part of you is girly, and loves fashion. And Kaylee; there's a part of you that's more mature than you're given credit for, but also irresponsible."'

"So that's why Trent helped us!" Kira smiled proudly, looking up at Conner. "There's still a part of him that's really good!"

"Oh c'mon, Kira, you cannot possibly still have an inkling of thought in your mind that—"

"You don't have to," Hayley stated, replying to Ethan's '_I still don't get it_' and trying to stop an argument. "For now just pull it together as a team. Trust me."

"That sounds logical," Conner nodded.

"Alright, here's what I need you to do—" she was cut off by the computer's alarm.

_**ZWOP!**_

The alarm stopped.

_**ZWOP!**_

The Rangers turned to see Kaylee still in her chair, but knew from the sound of her teleporting and the fact that the computer was on mute again, that she'd been over and back.

"Oh, again?" Hayley groaned, referring to the monster onscreen. "First things first."

Three of the Rangers nodded and dropped bags, or books or weights, standing in formation.

"Bag-sitter!" Kaylee called from her seat, zwopping over to get Kira's shopping bags, and zwopping back to put them with the others.

"Ready?" Conner asked the other two.

"Ready!" the nodded. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"Thundermax Saber!" Conner yelled as they got on scene, leaping up to the creature and knocking it back a few feet when he slashed at it. "Most excellent!"

"I've got something for you too!" Ethan called.

"Hell-oo!" Kira snapped. "Leave some for me!"

The leapt forward, using Conner's shoulders as leverage as they kicked off, landing two sets of powerful kicks at the monster's head. He yelled and fell backwards.

"All together now!" Kira said perkily, as the three of them aimed their lasers, blasting away. After a few shots, it was their turn to be knocked off their feet when it fired back.

"This creature leaves us no choice!" Conner exclaimed as they got to their feet.

"Super Dino Mode!" they all cried together, and power rushed to the surface as their suits changed to reflect the inner Dino.

"Uh-oh," was all the monster could say before he was assaulted by a series of punches, kicks and attacks, much more powerful than before. He fell backwards after the final volley of attacks, and the Rangers stepped back, calling forth their weapons.

"Wait a moment," Conner contemplated their weapons, sighing. "Our power weapons cannot form the Z-Rex Blaster without Kaylee's arsenal, can they?"

"I dunno," Ethan shrugged.

"Let's just, like, try," Kira suggested, and try they did. The weapon was unstable and rocked slightly once completed, but remained together long enough for them to blast apart the creature.

Then, the weapon sparked, fizzled and fell apart. The Rangers wound on up their butts from the force of it.

"I think it's unwise to ever try that again," Conner stated, and the others nodded in agreement.

"But still, we rock!" Ethan yelled.

"_So_ fabulous!" Kira smiled.

It didn't take long for their cheers to die out as a dark rain cloud appeared overhead, drowning the remains of the monster in purple acid that made it reform and grow to huge building size.

"It's Zord time!" Conner stated into his morpher. "Kaylee?"

"_What do you want me to do about it_?" she snapped over the com-link.

"We need your help," Ethan replied. "The Z-Rex blaster was hard enough, there's no way we can form the Megazord without you!"

"_You've done it before I got my Zord_."

"Yeah but…," Ethan trailed off.

"Please Kayl?" Kira inquired. "We like, totally need your help. And after, you can _so_ go back to napping and doing all your other adult-things."

There was a silence over the com-link, deterred only by the sound of the Brachiozord stomping down the street towards them. For a moment the Rangers gave up, sighing and figuring she wasn't coming, until a familiar sound graced their ears.

_**ZWOP!**_

Kaylee stood a little ways away, morphed, and leaning up against a lamppost. "I'm here, now may we please finish this tiring game and get back to the finer points of adulthood?"

The others nodded, and jumped up into their Zords as the left the Brachiozord for formation.

"Here, I'll even put in a little overtime," Kaylee stated, pressing a button on her part of the control systems. "Ankylozord!"

The orange Zord came out of the Brachiozord's top part in order to replace the Spinozord arm. That way, when the aggressive monster fired lasers at them, Kaylee boredly swung the Ankylozord arm in that direction, using the spinning disc part of the arm as a shield and sending the lasers right back.

"That did it!" Ethan nodded, watching as a smoking monster began running off. They followed, and soon the monster was trapped between the Dino Stegazord, and what it had called the _'stupid Megazord_'.

"Going somewhere?" Trent inquired.

"It's Trent!" Kira exclaimed happily. "He came to help us!"

The Dino Stegazord blasted its sword forward, and it smashed into the middle of the monster, causing a massive explosion of sparks. Cursing, it fell to the ground, struggling to get up.

Using the Double Drill attack, the Megazord swiftly stopped that, and in a huge explosion that passed between the two on-looking Zord formations, the monster was blown to pieces.

"I'm outta here," Trent stated, turning his Dino Stegazord away and walking off.

"Trent!" Kira called from inside the Megazord, but she was left ignored.

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"Okay guys, lasers at full power!" Conner called as he and the other three Rangers rode their Raptor Cycles towards the meteor rock.

"Fire!" they shouted, and four different colored blasts hurtled towards the space rock, exploding it into tiny pieces as they parked the Cycles. "Power down!"

Not paying attention as purple lights drifted away from their civilian forms, the four Rangers rushed over to the pit to find the rock lying in various pieces.

"Think this'll work?" Kira inquired as Ethan picked up the nearest one.

"The components should still have residual power that should help Dr. O," Ethan nodded, holding a slightly glowing purple rock.

"How do you know this stuff?" Conner frowned.

"It's called education?" Ethan retorted, chuckling.

"Okay, that was kinda brutal," the Red Ranger rolled his eyes before gasping. "Hey! You sound like the old Ethan!"

"Hey, I do!" Ethan grinned happily.

"Thank god," Kira muttered. "One more minute at a shopping mall and…ugh."

"Oh. My. God!" Kaylee yelled excitedly, hopping up and down on the spot. "I'm normal! I'm hyper, bouncy, not thinking about napping or paperwork or adult-talk! I'm _freaking_ normal! Now let's get that space rock back to Hayley so everything else can be _normal!_"

xX-Leader-of-the-Whack-Xx

"I assume you're feeling back to normal?" Hayley tested as she saw the Rangers walk in. Ethan had found himself a sweater, Conner had ditched the suit jacket and unbuttoned most of the red dress shirt, Kira was pulling uncomfortably at her dress and Kaylee was alert and looking at her sister's pajamas like they were infected.

"Thank goodness," Ethan nodded.

"That was horrible!" Kaylee exclaimed, rushing over to hug Hayley. "I'm _sooooo_ sorry I made today a living annoyance for you Hayley! I mean, I can be unnerving when I'm hyper, but when I'm lazy and irresponsible? God, I was horrible! Everything about today was horrible! I mean, I've never talked so little in my life! Or slept that much! And—"

"Breathe, Kaylee," Hayley laughed, and the girl backed up, taking a deep breath.

"And, my pajamas? The Hell am I wearing?" she snorted with laughter, looking down. "They're blue! Where's the green? And they've got these little pale white flowery thingies on 'em! The Hell does my sister own these for? They're ugly! Oh! Oh god! And I called Tori by her full like…three times today! She'd _kill_ me if she knew! She'd destroy me! I've _never_ called her by her full name, nor has anyone else. It's—"

"Breathe," Kira was the next to remind her, since she appeared to keep forgetting.

"…And oh lord, Kira, if you ever go girly again I think I'll have to gouge my eyes out! And my ears! I mean, your morph? What the HELL!" she shouted. "With the girly stance and the finger thingie and god, it was frightening! We were all frightening! No one better ever change, because it was creepy! And…the amount of work I did? I feel so bad! I was such a lazy butt!"

Taking one last breath, she sighed, looking at her friends and fellow Rangers. "I'm sorry!"

"It's alright," Ethan smiled, and the others nodded in agreement.

"You couldn't help it. None of you could," Hayley pointed out. "It was the meteor."

"Well, I'm glad it's _over_," Kira stated. "Because the sooner we try this rock out, the sooner I can get home and change."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Conner smirked, looking down at her dress.

"It's so…so…," Kira trailed off, seeing the look on his face. "Conner!"

Her yelled snapped him out of it and he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry…guess that means I'm back to normal," he snickered and she nearly clipped him one were it not for Superspeed helping him dodge her hand. He caught her by the wrist and stopped any impending violence. "Hey, c'mon Rockstar, it isn't that bad. It's actually really nice. I can't see why you don't like it."

"You wouldn't," she grumbled, trying to tug herself free. "Let go, Jockboy."

They stared at one another for a moment, before the sound of Trent's name from Ethan and Kaylee conversation drew Kira's attention. "Trent?" she frowned, before looking at Hayley and grinning. "Oh, hey! If the meteor made him good today, couldn't we use it to reverse the affects of the Dino Gem?"

Conner sighed in defeated, letting her go, as Hayley walked over to a machine. "We could," she nodded, inserting the meteor piece into a part of the machine. "But let's try this first."

"C'mon, Hayley!" Ethan encouraged as they walked over to see her press a bunch of buttons. This caused the machine to power up, and in no time a blast of purple energy shot out of the end, hitting the amber Dr. O was frozen in.

As they watched in awe, the amber melted away, but the beam stopped when the machine sparked and nearly blew apart. Kira reached over, lifting the meteor box out and sighing as she noticed it was no longer glowing and in small pieces. "The rock, it's fried!"

"Yeah, but lookie!" Kaylee cried, pointing towards the formerly fossilized Black Ranger, who was now free to move around. The Rangers and Hayley smiled, running over.

"Good job, guys," Tommy stated. "Power down!"

Nothing happened.

"I said, power down!" he cried, as the others frowned.

Still, nothing happened.

"I think we might have a problem," he looked up, and the other Rangers turned to look at Hayley, who was just as confused as they were.


	14. Burning At Both Ends

**Burning At Both Ends.**

"Dr. O, I realize you seem to like the wedgie-inflicting spandex for some reason, but uh, quit kidding around," Kaylee suggested.

"I wish I could," he sighed, stepping up to the group. "When Trent froze me in that amber, somehow my Dino Gem and my morpher must have remolecularised."

"Well, that sucks," Kaylee commented, turning to look at the other Rangers. "What'd he say?"

"He's stuck," Hayley replied, before walking past Dr. O towards the computer. "And speaking of Trent…"

The view screen clicked into life; depicting a scene of the Dino Stegazord stomping through the city as people below screamed and ran for their lives.

"I'm so _over_ that poser!" Conner growled, fists clenching.

"We know," Kaylee smiled, looking at Ethan, who mirrored her grin.

"Go," Tommy stated. "I'll see what we can figure out here."

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

"That's right, you better run!" the White Ranger yelled as lasers shot out from his Zords, blasting things on the street.

"Fire!" Conner ordered and their Raptor Riders fired off lasers, hitting the Dino Stegazord in the chest a few times. They skidded to a stop and looked up. "That's enough!"

"I'm just getting started!" their opponent laughed maniacally.

"Fine, it's Zord time!" Conner stated, and the Brachiozord came stomping by in response, dropping off four Zords. Said Zords quickly rushed together as did the Rangers, and Conner called upon the Parasaurzord to replace his Tyrannozord arm for this one.

"Make your move," the White Ranger stated.

"Now what's he up to?" Ethan frowned.

"I don't know but we have to stop him!" Kira replied, despite the ache in her heart. "Ptera Rang!" She pressed a button on the system control, firing the boomerang pieces of her Zord forward, only one that clipped him as he dodged her other. When they returned, Trent used his Drago Sword to draw a chain.

"I hate to do this to you," he chuckled. "Nothing personal."

The chain show out of the Dino Stegazord and wrapped around the Megazord, immobilizing them as the struggled to break free.

"We need Dinozord help!" Conner stated, pressing a button on his control panel. "Cephalazord!"

"Ankylozord!" Kaylee joined in, and both Zords came bounding towards them from different areas of the city, where they'd been hiding out.

"Perfect," the White Ranger grinned, drawing two circles of light with his weapon. "Containment fields, online!"

The two balls of light rushed out to surround the Cephalazord and the Ankylozord, and quickly turned into barrels that trapped the two Auxiliary Zords.

"The Hell?" Kaylee frowned, watching as they struggled within the barrels, only their heads sticking out at the top.

"Our Dinozords!" Conner called. "Let them go!"

"Sorry, not going to happen," the White Ranger cackled.

"Trent, you've gotta stop this!" Kira pleaded. "You're out of control!"

"Looks more like I'm in control," he grinned before the Megazord was blasted with an odd pink light that knocked it off balance. Inside the cockpit, the four Rangers fell against their controls, and by the time they looked up, the Dino Stegazord had disappeared – and the two Zords.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

"What's the situation, Hayley?" Tommy asked as the Rangers grouped around her computer.

"It's no good," she sighed, typing as she shook her head. "He's got them in a force field."

"It's not Trent's fault, the gem is making him this way!" Kira protested, and Conner glared at her.

"Why are you defending him?" he exclaimed, his voice rising. "After everything he's done!"

"Because, the meteor thing was just proof that there's still a part of him that's good."

"Yeah, because good guys steal other guy's Zords, trap 'em, and plan evil schemes of doing god knows what to them."

"Why are you being such a _jerk_?!" she yelled, stomping her foot on the ground as her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed.

"Because, you keep putting yourself out there for him, and getting hurt more and more every time, even if you hide it so well!" he replied, adopting an equally menacing pose. "I'm sick and tired of watching you get hurt because that idiot doesn't know when to stop!"

"Slow down you two," Tommy interjected, stepping between them. "I was in his shoes once, and I wouldn't be here today if my friends had given up on me."

"See?" Kira sneered, but Conner didn't budge.

"Okay, so we don't give up yet," Ethan stated, placing a hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder as a warning while he looked to the others.

"But what do we do?" Kaylee frowned.

"Go back to school, keep a low profile," Tommy told them. "Hayley and I will let you know if anything changes."

They nodded, and slowly walked out.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Later that day, Kira walked through an open area of concrete, surrounded by buildings, somewhere in the city. The fingers of her right hand tapped at the side of her thigh with a beat from a song she was working on.

Suddenly, Trent appeared out of the wall in front of her, where he'd been using his chameleon powers to hide. Kira jumped back, startled.

"You know, you shouldn't walk to school alone," he stated, taking a step towards her. "You never know who you might run into."

"Trent?" her eyes flashed with hope, and she mirrored his step. "How, how did you do that?"

"You didn't think you were the only one with Dino Gem powers, did you?" he taunted, and her face fell as she recognized the evil and malicious tone of the White Ranger, not of the Trent she knew and cared for.

"I don't want to fight," she told him as calmly as possible, but a slight tremble in her voice betrayed her. He smirked.

"Well, that makes one of us," he chuckled, bringing his morpher up. "White Ranger, Dino Power!"

He morphed into the White Ranger, before chuckling darkly. "Bring it on."

She hesitated, watched as he stood facing her. "If that's how it has to be," she gave in, and a feeling of dread crossed her heart as she raised her morpher. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

Once she was morphed, he rushed forward, and the pair exchanged a series of kicks and punches, but Kira just wasn't into it. They grabbed one another's arms, locking in a fight as she looked up at him.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" she pleaded. "Why won't you let us help you?"

"I don't need anyone's help," he spat. "Least of all yours."

"F-Fine," she glared, trying to keep from trembling in the flurry of anger and sadness that was assaulting her senses. "If that's how you want if to be."

Eventually, they managed to land blows that knocked one another to the ground, rolling away from the other. Trent got to his feet first, drawing his Drago Sword. Kira followed suit, drawing her Ptera Grips, and they ran together again.

Exchanging blows, sparks flew everywhere, until they broke apart yet again, and then leapt into the air, flying towards one another.

"Ptera Grips!"

"Drago Sword!"

Smashing into one another in mid-air, sparks flew again, but both managed to land on their feet moments later, before the White Ranger quickly drew his laser gun, just as Kira found her Thundermax Laser.

"Fire!" he bellowed, and before she knew it, pain racked her body and she fell to the ground, crying out. He too, fell to the ground, because she'd managed to get a shot in. As both Rangers lay still on the ground, a flash of purple on the side drew their attention.

"Perfect timing!" Insectolite grinned as it and Zeltrax stepped up to their pair. "Should I infect them both?"

"No, do as we've been instructed," Zeltrax snapped. "Just the White one."

Kira looked up, straining against her pain as she looked towards the White Ranger. Insectolite stepped up over to him, shooting a bright orange beam of light that caused him to de-morph and groan loudly.

"What did you do?" Kira cried. They noticed her, and exchanged glances before warping out in a flash of purple. She powered down, pushed herself to her feet and hurried over to the fallen White Ranger, worry etched in her voice. "Trent, are you okay?"

"Better than okay," he stated, managing to push himself into a sitting position. "I'm me."

Kira gasped, looking down at him.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Kaylee, Ethan and Conner walked through the Reefside High School parking lot, having just gotten out of Conner's Mustang. They walked towards the sidewalk when Principal Randall caught up to them.

"Hey, you three!" she exclaimed. "I got an e-mail from that science teacher of yours. He's claiming to be too sick to work."

"Well, now that you mention it, he really didn't seem himself last time I saw him," Conner lied brilliantly, and the other two were amazed at the ease it took him. "I'm sure Doctor Oliver will return as soon as he's feeling better. And in the meantime, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to worry about it."

"Yeah, w-well, I better not find out he's faking it," she stammered, before composing herself. "Or he can kiss his job good-bye."

With that, she stalked off and Conner's fake smile fell. "A model of warmth and sympathy, that one," he muttered.

"And you're just a model of perfection, Mr. I'm-Such-A-Great-Liar," Kaylee stated. "You were pretty lucky you weren't Pinocchio back there, or your nose woulda been reaching the Ranger Base with all the sugar coating you put on that tiny white lie."

"Heh, you gotta do what you gotta do," he smirked, his ego inflating apparently.

Ethan tapped them both on the shoulder, and they followed his gaze to find Kira on the stands by the soccer pitch, waving them over.

"What's she doing _there_?" Conner frowned.

"Why complain?" Kaylee nudged him teasingly and he glared down at her as they walked off to find the Yellow Ranger. "What's up?"

"It's Trent," she stated, and Conner's eyes narrowed.

"What _now_?" he muttered.

"Don't start," she quipped. "C'mon, you've _got_ to see this. He's reformed."

She led them to a lower spot in the bleachers were Trent sat, staring downwards.

"Yeah, sure," Conner scoffed, but stopped when she glared at him.

"Really?" Kaylee asked, trying to lighten the mood. As they stepped closer, she reached out to poke him, and he looked up. "Trent, are you in there?"

"Hey," he smiled, standing up. "It's really me."

"One of Mesogog's monster attacks backfired," Kira stated.

"I think it released the Dino Gem's hold," Trent added.

"That doesn't make a whole lot of sense," Ethan frowned.

"It smells like bullshit to me," Conner muttered, before having his foot stepped on by Green and Yellow Rangers.

"Guys, look," Trent sighed. "I'm really sorry for everything I've done to you. You gotta believe it wasn't me. The Gem…it just took control…I couldn't do anything against it."

"See?" Kira whispered, looking up at the Red Ranger, but his unconvinced glare didn't falter for a second, so she rolled her eyes, sighing.

"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…," Trent offered.

"How about returning our Zords, for starters?" Ethan suggested.

"Oh, yay! I want my orange buddy back!" Kaylee grinned, only to have a small growl come out of her Dino Gem. "Don't worry, Ducky Jr, you're still my favorite."

"Is she…?" Trent trailed off, and the others nodded. He chuckled, shaking his head and looking back to the other three. "Right, well. Meet me in the warehouse district this afternoon. I'll give you back your Zords, and I might have a little peace offering as well."

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

That afternoon, Trent sat on a box in a warehouse, beside something covered in a large white sheet. The Rangers arrived moments later, on their Raptor Cycles, already all morphed. Sitting on the Cycle behind Conner, was the Black Ranger.

Smiling, Trent waved. "Hey! Over here!"

Dismounting, they walked to meet him in the middle of the warehouse room.

"Hope you don't mind," Tommy stated. "I tagged along just in case."

"Dr. Oliver. You're okay."

"More or less."

"I hate to get right to the point," Ethan stepped up. "But I don't see any Zords around."

"Orange buddy?" Kaylee frowned, looking around.

"I thought we'd start with the peace offering I promised first," Trent stated, walking over to the sheet. He pulled on it, and it slipped away, revealing the Black Dino ATV.

"Whoa," Tommy breathed.

"Sweet!" the other Rangers agreed.

"I figured you guys could use the help against Mesogog," Trent pointed out. "Who wants to try it out first?"

"Make way!" Ethan announced, before Kaylee placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Ethan, it's Black," Kaylee giggled. "Not really your color."

"Oh, man," he sighed, and Tommy stepped forward happily, walking up to the ATV. He climbed on as Trent watched.

"Good work," he nodded appreciatively. "12-stroke engine?"

"Yeah, sure is," Trent replied, making Tommy look up.

"They don't make 12-stroke engines, Trent."

"Yeah, Mesogog doesn't make monsters that turn people good, either," he smirked evilly, leaping over the ATV and kicking it into gear. It shot forward and the other Rangers jumped out of the way as the Black Dino ATV went ploughing through some boxes and out the doors.

"Dr. O!" the Rangers shouted, and Kira turned to look at Trent.

"Trent…you…you lied," she breathed, and he shrugged.

"Course I did, it's all part of the survival of the fittest, Yellow Ranger," he laughed, using a term of utter distancing and coldness that made her cringe and tremble with both anger and sadness.

"You'll pay for this," Conner vowed, stepping in front of her. Grinning evilly, Trent stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled. A White Dino ATV appeared from another part of the warehouse.

"Later, suckers," he stated before leaping into the air, morphing as he did, and getting onto the ATV. He revved the engine and took off after the Black Ranger. As the Rangers turned to follow, Insectolite and a crowd of Tyrannodrones appeared through a flash of purple, in their path.

"Not so fast!" the monster cackled. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Try and stop us!" Conner glared. "Come on, guys!"

He, Kaylee and Ethan ran back to their Raptor Cycles, but Kira was unable to move.

"Kira!" Kaylee called. "C'mon, we gotta get outta here and go after him! Kira?"

"We'll have Hayley call her Cycle over the computer later," Conner stated, revving up his engine, and the other two frowned. "C'mon, we don't have much time!"

He sped towards the crowd, both Blue and Green on his tail, and as he whizzed past Kira, he grabbed the absent Yellow Ranger, swinging her onto the bike behind him. All three bikes fired off lasers, shooting at the Tyrannodrones.

"Fire!" Insectolite roared, and lasers shot towards Kaylee and Ethan. The latter crashed into a parked car, being thrown from his Cycle in the process. Kaylee on the other hand fell off, and her Cycle crashed into some boxes.

Leaping over some boxes, Conner went to fire his Cycle laser at Insectolite but the bug monster got there first, sending a blast towards him. Snapping out of her state, Kira reacted just soon enough, grabbing Conner and leaping off the Cycle, rolling to the ground below. The red cycle continued on, crashing into some barrels.

"Guys!" Ethan called, and he and Kaylee stumbled over to them.

"You two alright?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yeah," Conner nodded before looking at Kira. "Thanks."

"Is that all you got?" Insectolite shouted, and the Rangers stood together, facing him.

"Super Dino Mode!" they yelled, and their uniforms shifted with power.

"Super what?" Insectolite questioned.

"Super Dino Mode," Kaylee replied. "S-U-P-E-R-D-I-N-O-M-O-D-E! See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Giving spelling lessons to monsters now, Kayl?" Ethan chuckled.

"I'm that good," she giggled.

They then took off towards the monster and the Tyrannodrones, who met them halfway. As Kaylee, Ethan and a slightly absent Kira took on the horde of Tyrannodrones, Conner kicked away at Insectolite.

"Tyranno Power!" he yelled, leaping through the air, where he dodged a bunch of lasers from the monsters. He dodged, landing to one side. "Nice try, crazy freak!"

Meanwhile, Ethan grabbed onto two monsters at once, swinging them forward into a pack of barrels. A little ways away, Kira and Kaylee somersaulted side-by-side onto a box, where they turned and kicked three following Tyrannodrones in the faces.

When Insectolite jumped away and Tyrannodrones replaced him, Conner easily kicked them away, and he, along with the other three Rangers, turned to face Insectolite.

"Your bikes are history!" it yelled, and Kaylee had half a mind to smartly remark that Kira's was still intact, but decided against it. "We're through here, bye!"

Just then, Dr. O came flying through the open doors on the ATV, shooting at Insectolite. He came skidding to a stop in front of the four Rangers, getting off the ATV.

"Talk about a wild ride!" he chuckled.

"Well, at least you're okay," Ethan pointed out as they looked towards Insectolite.

"Later days!" it yelled, before disappearing in a flash of purple. In his place arrived the White Ranger, on his White Dino ATV.

"See my friends have been keeping you busy," he chuckled, before climbing off and glancing at the three Raptor Cycles strewn around the room. "Someone's been careless with their toys."

"You're making a mistake, Trent," Tommy stated. "Don't trust Mesogog."

"Who says I do?" he scoffed. "I got what I wanted. Good-bye Rangers."

He turned back to his ATV and Kaylee dared to speak up. "What about our Zords?"

"Say good-bye to them too," he laughed as he jumped onto his ATV.

"Trent, don't do this!" Kira pleaded one last time, before he turned and sped out of the warehouse, never looking back.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Back at the Ranger Base, the Rangers stood around, still morphed but with their helmets off (well, except Tommy, who's still stuck). Hayley sat near, working at the computers.

"Can we go over this again?" Conner inquired. "Trent made a deal with Mesogog, pretending to let Insectolite turn him back into himself, and making one of us the bait to trick us into taking the rigged ATV?"

He'd been careful with using '_one of us_' in his statement, but it still struck home hard for Kira, and she sighed heavily. "I'm such an idiot," she muttered. "I believed all the stuff he said, when he was really just feeding me more lies…again."

"Hey, don't feel bad," Conner stated, looking down at her with a sympathetic smile. "It could've happened to any of us."

"No, it couldn't. You've lost all faith in him, Ethan's distrustful, Kaylee just isn't that stupid and Dr. O's hard to get to," she groaned. "I'm the only one that's truly an easy target because I…I still believe in him…"

"It's like Dr. O said, he wouldn't be here if his friends had _all_ given up on him," Conner told her, ignoring the selfish voice in his mind that told him to push her farther, to make her hate Trent and give up once and for all, so that she wouldn't think of him anymore. "As long as there's someone holding out for him, things might change."

"I thought…I thought you said it was stupid to try?" she sniffled, frowning.

"Yeah well…whatever floats your boat," he coughed a little shyly, looking away. "Just, don't feel bad about it anymore, alright?"

"Okay," she smiled slightly, nodding. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the others. "So, he made a deal with Mesogog. That's a new low."

"And risky," Ethan added. "Trent was supposed to beat us. Mesogog's not gonna be happy."

"Lighting the candle at both ends, the White Ranger's bound to get burned," Tommy stated.

"Let him," Kaylee grinned, wrapping a protective arm around Kira. "No one messes with _my_ friend and gets away with it!"

"And I think I know how to get the fire going," Hayley pointed out, turning away from the computers to look at them. "The ray used by Insectolite destroyed your energy shields. I bet if you could get that creep to aim his energy-buster at the Zords…"

"We could break through Trent's shield around them," Kira finished.

When Hayley nodded, Kaylee pumped her fists into the air. "Orange buddy!"

"Okay, small problem," Ethan began, and Kaylee's arms fell at her sides. "How is Trent gonna feel about all this?"

"Fun killer," the blonde whispered.

"Every trap needs its bait," Hayley stated.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Walking around the warehouse district again, the Rangers had returned their helmets to their heads as they wandered.

"Trent!" Kira called. "Where are you?"

"We gotta talk to you!" Kaylee added.

"You made a deal with Mesogog, now it's time you made one with us," Tommy stated.

Appearing from out of nowhere, the morphed White Ranger ran towards them in super speed, attacking with his Drago Sword. They were all knocked away, but Conner leapt to his feet right after, locking himself in a fight with Trent.

Dodging Trent's sword, he kicked him in the gut, before managing to grab a hold of his wrist. Both boys struggled a moment.

"You wanted to see me?" the White Ranger inquired.

"We wanted to make a little deal of our own!" Conner stated.

"I don't make deals with posers," he scoffed, and Conner glared.

"Take that back!" he barked, letting go of Trent's wrist as they broke into a fight again.

Conner ducked to avoid a blow from Trent, and the latter used the Red Ranger's shoulders as a springboard to leap into the air. He landed on a high wall, looking down.

"You just won't learn, will you?" Trent smirked.

"Learn what?" Conner frowned as the others came up beside him.

"The White Ranger always wins," Trent grinned before raising his Drago Sword and disappearing in a flash of white.

"For starters, it's getting really annoying that all the bad guys are stealing my teleporting thing," Kaylee muttered. "And, um, also, doesn't winning mean your opponents are down for the count?"

As the others shrugged, Dr. O's communicator beeps and he raised it to speak. "Go."

"_It's working_," Hayley confirmed. "_The monster is back, on the other side of the warehouse_."

"Got it," Tommy nodded, before the Rangers ran off to find Insectolite, looking around.

"There he is!" Conner exclaimed.

As Insectolite turned, Kira tapped the Red Ranger on the arm. "Great way of being stealthy, Jockboy," she laughed and he shrugged sheepishly.

"Out of my way!" the monster yelled. "I've been sent to get the white one!"

As they rushed forward, they attempted to attack separately, but failed miserably. So, together, Kaylee and Ethan ran forward, kicking him equally and it caused him to be knocked backwards, falling to the ground.

It rolled, getting up again as the Rangers drew their Thundermax Sabers. This didn't do anything as Insectolite blasted them off their feet with lasers. Frustrated, Tommy got to his feet and drew his Brachio Staff.

"Energy Orb!" he shouted, and he swung his Brachio Staff in a circle, creating his energy orb before firing it at the creature, who staggered back.

Conner, Ethan, Kaylee and Kira jumped up, coming close.

"Let's help him out, guys!" Conner stated. "Tyranno Staff!"

"Ptera Grips!"

"Spino Whip!"

"Tricera Shield!"

Kira leapt into the air, hitting Insectolite as she flew past him.

Conner then slammed the end of the Tyranno Staff into the ground, grabbing it and kicking Insectolite as he spun around on it.

Ethan was next, stabbing Insectolite with his Tricera Shield and spinning him around in the air.

Kaylee was last, flicking her Whip forward, where it wrapped around the creature's middle and pulled him away from Ethan. She threw him up into the air and he soared into a wall.

"That got him," she grinned, seeing that the monster wasn't moving to get up.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, walking over. "Help me load him up."

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Trent sat on his White Dino ATV, looking up at the trapped Zords through the dim light filtering through the forest from the sunset. "Looks like your friends are trying to save you," he snickered. "Fools."

As the Zords roared, the Rangers rode through the woods nearby on their Raptor Riders. Attached to the back of the Black Dino ATV was Insectolite, yelling and screaming to be free.

"Hang on, Orange buddy!" Kaylee called as they pushed their Raptor Riders faster.

"We'll never make it!" Ethan groaned, and Kaylee shot him a glare through her helmet.

"We have to," Tommy stated, and moments later their Raptor Riders and his ATV pulled to a stop as they finally reached the Zords. They dismounted and he walked over to their prisoner.

"No!" Insectolite yelled. "Let me go!"

"This is your cue, Insectolite." He grabbed the monster, dragging him off the ATV and pushing him towards their trapped Zords. "Go on, do it."

Insectolite readied its lasers, only to be blasted in the back by one. The Black Ranger turned to see the White Ranger standing near, holding his Drago Sword. "You're too late."

"Oh, man."

"See ya," he stated, pointing to the Zords as he walked away and a huge explosion went off.

"Come on!" Conner called and all five Rangers stumbled over to where the explosion took place.

"Oh no!" Kira gasped, seeing that it was where their Zords had been. Smoke billowed out from the now empty barrels, and their breaths caught in their throats.

"Wait!" Kaylee grinned as two large shapes lumbered forward, and she patted Kira on the shoulder excitedly. "Look! Look! Look!"

"They survived," Ethan nodded happily, but then the Rangers stumbled as the ground shook.

Frowning, the Rangers looked up to see the Dino Stegazord stomping towards them. "Dino Zords," the White Ranger barked. "Attack!"

Suddenly, against all odds, the Cephalazord and Ankylozord jumped back and joined with the Dino Stegazord. The excitement the Rangers had felt left them in a flash.

"Our Zords," Conner growled, clenching his fists. "He did it again! Just like the Stegozord!"

"Another trick," Kira muttered sadly.

"I thought they would make a nice addition to my collection," the White Ranger bellowed. "The starfish device was just to re-program them to obey me."

"You suck!" Kaylee yelled loudly.

"And you're not gonna get away with this," Tommy added, bringing up his morpher. "Brachio!"

His Zord lumbered through the woods towards them, depositing the Tyrannozord, Pterazord, Spinozord and Tricerazord. The four corresponding Rangers left his side to merge with their Zords and then create the Thundersaurus Megazord.

"Let's make him pay," Conner stated, and his team nodded.

"You can't afford it," Trent chuckled, before punching the Megazord with the Cephalazord arm. Inside the Thundersaurus cockpit, sparks flew and electricity fizzed all over the walls. "Ankylozord! Drill Tail!"

Sustaining another attack, the Megazord fell to the ground, smoking slightly. "With Orange buddy and the other guy, he's too powerful!" Kaylee pouted.

"Now you're beginning to get it," he laughed maniacally. "Why don't you just surrender the rest of your Zords to me?"

"If you think we'd to that," Conner scoffed. "You're crazier than I thought."

"Then I'll take them."

The Dino Stegazord marched forward, raising the Ankylozord Drill again while the Rangers yelled for him to stop, to see reason. Before he could land the hit, something slammed into him from behind and the White Ranger's creation was knocked off-balance.

Insectolite, now giant-sized, laughed. "I'm back! And the master says he don't like being double crossed!"

"Out of my way, insect," Trent growled, powering up a huge attack from his Dino Stegazord. It ripped through the creature, and Insectolite fell to the ground, destroyed in one blow.

"What?" the Rangers watched in awe.

"Another day, Rangers," Trent stated, before he and his Dino Stegazord disappeared.

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Back at the Dino Lab, Kaylee and Ethan sat against the front of the Black Dino ATV, slumped over, while Conner and Kira sat behind them, the Red Ranger trying unsuccessfully to cheer up the Yellow Ranger. Tommy, meanwhile, paced nearby.

"Trent has gone some nerve," Kaylee muttered. "He took Orange buddy!"

"Yeah, I mean, why couldn't he just give up?" Ethan groaned.

"Good thing I never give up," Hayley stated, walking up to them and getting their attention. She pointed at Green, Blue and Red Rangers. "Your bikes are fixed, and Kira's, yours has been brought back."

"Awesome," Ethan grinned.

"You're the bestest!" Kaylee agreed.

"Just don't do it again, okay?" the redhead asked. "And, as an added bonus, I reprogrammed the ATV. It should come in handy."

At this, Tommy turned to face them. "We're going to need all the help we can get," he sighed. "If Trent and Mesogog team up for good, we're going to have a real battle on our hands."

xX-Burning-at-Both-Ends-Xx

Frustrated and growling, Mesogog sat in his chair, with Zeltrax and Elsa standing in front of him.

"Why must you continue to fail at bringing me the White Ranger?"

"My lord," Elsa began. "You yourself have experimented on the White Gem. It's powers are unfathomable."

"Excuse after excuse!" he snapped. "Now get out of my sight. I need time to think without your sniveling incompetence distracting me."

"Yes, My lord," Zeltrax nodded, and he and Elsa left the room. Once the doors closed behind them, Mesogog stood up, walking across the room. He raised one scaly hand to his face, to see it glowing a pale purple.

"No," he hissed. "No!"

His body was suddenly covered in purple light, which flashed orange, and then purple again. As it did, flashes of Anton Mercer appeared. "Control it!"

The light flashed orange, and the dino-monster was transformed into Anton Mercer. "Before he controls me," he stated, straightening his tie and walking out.

As the doors closed behind him, Trent appeared out of the wall against which he had concealed himself with his chameleon powers. Laughing evilly, he walked away.

* * *

I'm leaving you with an author's note this time to tell you that all the fans, whether you review or not, are AWESOME!! You really are what keeps me writing, because I'm glad to give you something to be happy and/or excited about. :) And me and Lily Hanson, the creator of Kaylee, are so glad you all love our Green Ranger!

Also, in response to **Tierra**'s review, the reason Lily Hanson's "_Ninja Storm: Redone_" and my story are so closely done to the script of the episodes, is because we either managed to snag transcripts of the episodes from _Rangerwiki_, or if there weren't any there, we went through the long and arduous process that was playing the episode on youtube, pausing a few sentences in, writing down what was said, and starting all over again! ;)

* * *


	15. Missing Bone

**The Missing Bone.**

Conner, Kira and Kaylee walked up one of the main staircases of their High School, and a few steps later, Ethan ducked under a banister to join them.

"You guys heard from Trent yet?" he asked.

"No, and not I'm sure I really want to," Kira sighed, and Conner glared at the Blue Ranger for bringing her depressed mood back, after he'd only just gotten it to go the hell away.

"We need to make sure he won't go off on some poor freshman cuz the kid won't give him his lunch money," Ethan suggested, and Kaylee's eyes widened as she clutched at her jean pocket that held her lunch money. "I said freshman. Not you."

She let out the breath she'd held, smiling sheepishly as he laughed. Then they reached the top of the stairs, turning into a corridor.

"Yeah, you know what, Ethan?" Conner began. "I think he's after a little more than a free grilled cheese with extra ketchup."

"And when we know what that is, maybe we can deal," Kira added, doing her best to put on a smile as they got to a classroom. "But till then, we keep an eye on him."

As they disappeared into the classroom and the door closed behind them, Trent appeared from some lockers beside the door, having been hiding there with his chameleon powers. He smirked at the door they'd gone through.

"Watch me all you want," he snickered. "It won't make a difference."

_Trent Fernandez, please report to the principal's office, Trent Fernandez._

He sighed at the intercom announcement before walking off down the hall.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Randall sat at her desk, and Trent stood on the other side, arms crossed. "Trent," she began. "I've called you here because there have been some concerns among your teachers that recently you've been, well…preoccupied."

"Preoccupied," he mused. "Is that what they're calling it?"

"Your grades have been slipping, your behavior is erratic," she continued, gesturing at the seat across from her, inviting him to sit.

"I'm fine," he told her as he sat down. "There's nothing you need to worry about."

"I understand high school can be difficult. There's a sense of powerlessness that can sometimes overwhelm you, even in your last year."

"I don't feel powerless, believe me."

"Okay, let's talk friends. Is there a particular group you're spending time with?"

_I'm not stupid_, he thought in amusement. _Elsa knows very well that I know who she is. Might as well play along with her little game._

"No, I like to keep to myself."

"What about a team?" she went on. "I'm sure there's one what would just love to have an athletic young man such as yourself, join. You ever think about that?"

He smiled. _Jackpot_.

"It's funny you should mention that," he smirked. "I was asked to join one recently."

"And?" she leaned forward, eager.

"They were losers," he laughed, and her smile fell as he leaned forward. "And I really don't see myself on a losing team. You can understand that, right?"

Annoyed, Randall adjusted her glasses and looked down at the papers in front of her, spitefully calling the boy so many different things in her mind. Trent on the other hand, merely smirked more, before getting up and leaving.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Devin was perched on his stool, holding his backpack open. His bag was already filled with paper balls, and as another arced through the air and went in, Conner pumped his fists into the air and high-fived Ethan, as both boys had been doing for a while now.

"Good for three!" Conner grinned, and on the other side of the table, Kira and Kaylee exchanged glances, rolling their eyes. As Kaylee played with a pencil sharpener, Kira attempted to work on lyrics for a song she'd been trying to accomplish for over a week now.

"Heh, pickles," Kaylee giggled, and the dirty blonde looked up at her, frowning.

"Pickles?" she inquired.

"I thought of pickles," she shrugged.

"How…random."

"That's me! And I mean, c'mon, the word is so fun to say! Pickles. Pick-les. Pinkyles. Picky-le."

Rolling her eyes despite the smile playing at her lips, Kira returned her gaze to her notebook, only to look back up seconds later when she heard chewing sounds. She found Kaylee innocently chewing on the end of a pencil eraser.

Seeing Kira's look, the blonde stopped right away, grinning sheepishly. "I'm starving."

"Hey, did you guys know we're supposed to get a new teacher today?" Ethan asked as he set up another paper ball shot, hoping to draw Kaylee's attention away from her stomach. He threw the ball, only to have it bounce off the rim.

"Yeah, any guesses?" Conner frowned, as he and Ethan continued their mindless fun.

"Well," Cassidy grinned, leaning on their table as she came up. "I heard from a _very_ reliable source, that it's this 80-year-old woman who used to teach kindergarten in Ohio."

"Really?" Ethan inquired.

"Does Ohio have pickles? Does it grow them?" Kaylee frowned. "Wait, what to pickles grow on? Trees? Plants? Flowers? Anyone?"

The door opened, and Principal Randall walked in, stopping any and all conversation in the room. Everyone scrambled to their seats and Devin put away his backpack.

"Good morning, class," she began. "I would like you to meet your new teacher: Anton Mercer."

"Huh?" a couple of students frowned as Anton Mercer walked in, wearing a small smile. The Rangers all looked shocked, and from the back of the room, Trent's bored face fell into a confused look.

"Morning, class," Mercer stated, standing at the front of the room beside Randall.

"Hey, looks pretty good for an 80-year-old woman," Kira snickered, and her three friends as well as Devin laughed, making Cassidy hit him.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What? I thought it was funny…"

As Cassidy made a face at him, Randall continued. "Dr. Mercer has graciously agreed to take over until your teacher gets back on his feet. I would like you to treat him with the same respect that you would treat Dr. Oliver."

She left, and Mercer thanked her as she passed him.

"Well, let me, uh, let me start by saying how honored I am to be here," he began, before grabbing a pile of papers and walking around the class. "What I'm handing out to you now are permission slips. These are for your parents to sign. We'll be going on a field trip tomorrow, to a museum."

The Rangers looked at the permission slips, then one another.

"I trust you'll all be able to make it," he smiled.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Kira, Conner, Kaylee and Ethan walked together on the school grounds after the last bell, talking about their science class earlier that day.

"Anton Mercer teaching other peoples' children?" Kaylee frowned.

"Yeah, he doesn't even like his own, from what I can tell," Kira added.

"I wonder whose brilliant idea this whole thing was," Ethan mused.

"Gotta be Randall's," Kira stated. "Did you see them together? It's like they were old pals."

"They're like halfway between Emo Barbie and Ken, and normal Barbie and Ken," Kaylee nodded, shuddering at the very thought.

"Hey, no matter how bad we've got it, there's always someone who's got it worse," Conner stated, trying to lighten things up. But as they reached the school entrance, they spotted Trent and his father arguing, and snippets drifted towards them.

"I gotta go," Trent snapped. "I don't have time for this!"

He stalked off, leaving his father to shout after him. "Okay, fine! But I want to talk to you later, understood?" The Rangers watched a moment, before turning back to one another.

"So, what are you guys doing now?" Kira asked the boys.

"Soccer," Conner stated.

"Computer club," Ethan replied.

"Why do we bother asking?" Kaylee giggled.

"What about you two?" the Blue Ranger inquired.

"We promised Dr. O that we'd help him inventory stuff in the lab," Kira sighed.

"Snore," Kaylee chimed in, making snoring noises.

"Plus, we'll probably wanna know who's teaching his class," Kira laughed.

"Yeah, I wonder what he'd have to say about it," Conner nodded.

As they reached the end of their walk together, they waved and split up, going in three different directions.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

The two girls sat at a table in the lab, and Dr. O stood across from them, still stuck in morph as the Black Ranger. Together, the three were going through boxes upon boxes of stuff. Also, they had just told him about who had taken over his teaching job for now.

"That's great!" he grinned.

"You're kidding, right?" Kira inquired, exchanging a side glance with Kaylee.

"No," he shook his head. "I know you think Anton is a little strange."

"Yeah, and Justin Timberlake's a little cute," Kira smiled, causing Kaylee to imitate gagging sounds until she was kicked under the table.

"Alright, he's a lot strange," Dr. O chuckled. "But he's brilliant. He taught me a lot of what I know, and for that I know he'll be great."

"If you say so," they shrugged, still not convinced.

"He really is an amazing person," Tommy insisted. "Once you get to know him."

"Um, I'm fine closely knowing just _one_ of my teachers well," Kaylee laughed. "Any more and Tori and Dustin are gonna start worrying about me."

"How are they, by the way?" Tommy inquired. When he noticed she eyed him suspiciously, he laughed again. "They're the only former Rangers that I know the going-ons of nowadays; just curious as to how they're spending retirement."

"Not retiring," she replied. "They may not be Rangers anymore, but they're still at the Ninja Academy all the time, teaching. They've become totally awesome Senseis of their elements! Oh, and Shane's with them. And Cam's the Headmaster. Oh! And Dustin said he might drop by later this week, dunno when. And…yeah, I also dunno what the Thunders are doing nowadays. Nowadays. Heh, that's a funny word to say."

"Kaylee, all words are funny to say when it comes to you," Kira laughed, and the blonde shook her head vigorously.

"Not true!" she replied, looking upwards. She grinned when she spotted the overhanging lamp and thrust her finger into the air, pointing. "Bulb! It's funny! Light Bulb! Bulb! See?"

"Bulb?" Tommy frowned, totally lost.

"I've learned not to question the _Kaylee Way_," Kira smiled fondly, returning to her work.

"I have a _Way_?" Kaylee grinned proudly, and Kira nodded as she picked up an old bone out of a box in front of her.

"Hey, Dr. O, where does this go?" Kira inquired.

"Oh, you better give me that," he stated, reaching forward and taking it from her.

"What is it?" Kira asked.

"Just a bone."

"Yeah, but why is it so important?"

"It's the key to the secret Bat-cave," Kaylee whispered, before Kira looked at her pointedly, glancing around the room and indicating that _this_ was the Bat-cave. "The secret-_er_ Bat-cave!"

"It needs to be kept safely in my hands," Tommy answered absently as he placed it into a metal box. "Let's just put it away."

Kira frowned, but shrugged the subject off. "Whatever you say."

The girls watched as he shut the box and put a padlock on it, before returning to their work.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Outside the museum, a sign hung, advertising a new dinosaur exhibition. "Alright, come along now," Anton Mercer stated, leading the first of the students into the museum. "We don't want to keep our prehistoric friends waiting.

Kira stopped walking, looking up at the life-sized model of a Tyrannosaurus standing outside the museum, which, unbeknownst to her and the others, was a replica of the robotic one that had chased Tommy down the day they'd found their Dino Gems.

Conner, Ethan and Kaylee stopped with her.

"What's wrong?" Conner frowned worriedly.

"If you wanna poke it, I'm not letting you!" Kaylee exclaimed. "You didn't let me poke it the first time we were here!"

"No it's just…that thing gives me a creepy vibe," Kira replied. "Worse than last time."

The others followed her gaze. "It's like it moved."

"You know dinosaurs are extinct, right?" Ethan chuckled as he, Conner and Kaylee looked back at her, frowning. She turned her gaze to him, glaring fiercely.

"Ethan, I think you have her confused with a dumb jock," Kaylee giggled, only to be glared at by Conner. She looked from him, to Kira, and gulped. "Scary twin glares! Hide!"

She hid behind Ethan, who sighed. "Alright, sorry I mentioned it."

He and Kaylee went past, blending into the safety of the crowd of students, while Kira continued to look up at the dinosaur. She bit her bottom lip, frowning. "Stop staring!"

"You know you're talking to a twenty-foot hunk of detailed plastic, right?" Conner chuckled, grabbing her arm and beginning to pull her towards the museum.

"Yeah…it's just…," she shook her head of her worry, smiling up at him. "Whatever, I'm just being childish and stupid. Let's go find the others."

He nodded and they disappeared into the building.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

The class stood around the exhibit hall, looking at model skeletons of dinosaurs.

"And just ahead here is a Triceratops from the Cretaceous period," Mercer lectured. "Strictly herbivores. Hunted by the Tyrannosaurus Rex."

Near the back, Conner slapped Ethan's arm, grinning. "Gotta love the T-Rex."

"Whatever bro," Ethan chuckled.

"Oh! Oh!" Kaylee bounced slightly, raising her hand and hoping Mercer would see her above the crowd, since she was quite short.

"Yes, Miss Hanson?" his voice drifted to her.

"What about, um the Spinosaurus? Did it hunt the Tricera?" she giggled, and Ethan shot her a displeased look.

"Well, researchers have tried many times to clearly define the eating patterns of the Spinosaurus, and are unsure whether it was a terrestrial predator or a fisher," Mercer explained, rubbing his chin in thought. "There are only a few studies that come to mind, one of which was from Europe, stating that fossils on one were found with fish scales and Iguanodon in it's stomach, while a tooth embedded in a South American Pterosaur bone suggests that Spinosaurus occasionally preyed on these flying archosaurs."

He went on about different types and classification after that, but Kaylee had heard all she needed to amuse herself as she searched for Kira. She spotted her drifting towards the display cases at the very end of the room, going off towards a small corridor.

The blonde caught up, nearly jumping on her in excitement. "Kira, didja hear? Mercer said that back in the day, my Dino might've eaten your Dino for lunch!" she giggled.

"Shh," Kira hissed, lending an open ear.

"I don't hear anything," Kaylee frowned.

"I did, look, just stay here, okay? You're going to get us both in trouble."

"Fine then," Kaylee pouted, turning away with a huff, unaware as Mercer walked up behind her.

"Miss Hanson," he began, and she nearly jumped. "Did my information on the Spinosaurus help your query?"

"Uh, yeah, it was awesome!" she nodded.

"Marvelous, now come join us," he smiled. "We wouldn't want you to miss out on any exciting artifacts along the way."

"But…but what about—"

"Come along now," he stated, pushing her slightly as he guided her towards the rest of the group. From her hiding place in another room, Kira peeked out, watching them leave. Satisfied that they weren't coming back for her, she went off in the direction that the Tyrannodrone had snuck off.

At the end of the small hall, she found a Storage Room door, and went in, shutting the door behind her. Inside, she found nothing but shelves upon shelves of artifacts.

That is, until the Tyrannodrone jumped out behind her, grabbing her and covering her mouth as she struggled. She managed to push it away and attacked, kicking and hitting until it fell back onto the floor.

More Tyrannodrones warped in through purple flashes and surrounded Kira. She rolled her eyes, getting into a fighting stance before they rushed forward. She dealt with most easily until two caught her off guard, managing to grab her from behind, holding her still.

"Let me go, you freaks!" she snapped.

Nearby, on a shelf, a large Dinosaur skull sat, and its eyes lit up with a brown-ish glow.

_Kira…you must listen to me…_

She froze in place as the eerie voice floated through the air around her. A slight tingle tickled her mind before a full blast of color and sound and words assaulted her brain, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, the pupils were merely viral slits, and the rest of her eyes had turned bright yellow.

_You will do as I command…_

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Conner, Ethan and Kaylee walked alone through another section of the museum, looking for their fourth pieces of the puzzle.

"Where could she have gone?" Ethan frowned.

"Last I saw she was sneaking around between cases and leaving me out of the fun," Kaylee muttered, and Ethan patted her on the shoulder, chuckling.

"This isn't right," Conner stated, worry slipping through his voice. He glanced ahead and spotted a figure run between the wall and a large glass case. "There she is! Kira!"

He took off towards her, and the other two followed as Kira stopped, rubbing her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Conner asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded absently. "I just got lost."

"Lost?" Kaylee snorted with laughter.

"Yeah, as in not found," Kira snapped.

"How'd you get lost? There's signs like everywhere!"

"Whatever, are we leaving?" she asked the guys, who were surprised by her sudden change in attitude. They frowned, but knew better than the ask questions.

"Yeah, we're leaving," Conner nodded.

"Great, let's go." And with that she stalked off, leaving the other three to look at one another, confused and alarmed.

"That was…," Conner trailed off.

"Totally weird," Kaylee concluded.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

At Cyberspace, Kira sat at a stool against the bar, looking at a book. Hayley walked up, setting down the girl's usual soda water with lemon twist on the counter beside her, but she didn't so much as glance at it.

"Hey, Kira, how come you're not sitting with the others?" she inquired.

"What, we have to do everything together?" Kira sighed in annoyance.

"Well, no," Hayley frowned. "But you usually do, don't you?"

"Not anymore," she stated, before looking up. "Look, Hayley, I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get this done for Dr. Mercer's class."

"Dr. Mercer," Hayley chuckled slightly. "I'll never get used to the sound of that."

"Hey, he's a really good teacher," the dirty blonde went on the defensive all of a sudden, adding to Hayley's confusion. "And we're going to learn a lot from him."

"Okay. Whatever you say, Kira," the redhead shrugged, walking off.

From a table a little ways away, the other three teens watched, all sorts of questions passing through their minds as they frowned. "She's acting weird," Ethan commented.

"Maybe she found the remains of that space rock thing in the back part of the museum," Conner suggested. "That could explain the sudden personality change."

"It would, but she'd be acting all girly, not all bitchy," Kaylee stated, before frowning. "Wait…"

"I don't think it's the personality altering rock," Ethan shook his head.

"Really, cuz that was our best bet at the moment other than PMS," Kaylee sighed, tapping a pencil against the table. "And as much non-fun as girly Kira was, and how much Conner probably wouldn't mind having her back for the dresses she wore…"

"Hey!" Conner hissed. "Not true!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Ethan chuckled.

"Ahem," Kaylee glared, and the boys returned their attention to her unfinished statement. "As much as that'd be the easiest answer, we need to test her mood and find out what's up."

The boys exchanged glances, not liking where this was going. She grinned, looking up at them.

"So," she smiled. "Who wants to be Pterodactyl fodder?"

A moment of silence passed, before three 'not it' responses were thrown out into the air, two faster than the third.

"Oh, man," Conner sighed, realizing his response had last.

"For a guy with Superspeed, you sure are slow," Kaylee giggled. _On more than just this…_

"No way," he shook his head. "I'm not doing it."

"C'mon bro, you lost fair and square," Ethan stated.

"Can't we have a redo? Draw straws?" Conner pleaded.

"No!" Green and Blue Rangers shouted.

"Look, we'll come with you," Ethan told him.

"We'll just stand a little ways behind you to avoid any fodder destruction that may follow," Kaylee grinned, and he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Dude, c'mon, it should be you anyway," Ethan pointed out, and the Red Ranger sent him a skeptical look. "What? You're used to the angry side of her more than we are."

"He's right," Kaylee nodded. "After all, you two spend half your time in arguments that remind me way too much of old married couples."

Ignoring Kaylee's statement and preferring Ethan's words instead, Conner groaned. "Alright, fine," he sighed, standing up. Hesitantly, he approached the Yellow Ranger and Kaylee and Ethan got up, keeping their distance but remaining within earshot.

"Hey," Conner greeted, but she didn't respond or look up. "You uh, want to go to a movie tonight?"

Hearing snickering from behind him, he reddened slightly and quickly added: "With the gang?"

"No." Was her curt response, and he frowned.

"You know, when someone doesn't want to hang out with someone, they usually come up with some sort of excuse," he pointed out, but regretted his words as soon as they'd left his mouth because she looked up from her book, glaring.

"Look, I just don't feel like spending any more time with you guys than I really have to, okay?" she retorted, before getting up and gathering her things. "I have to go. I have something to do."

She stood up and brushed past him without another word, leaving the cyber café. The other two approached, looking at Conner as he turned to stare after her.

"That didn't go too well?" Ethan inquired, and Conner shook his head, brow furrowed.

"Well, at least we know something," Kaylee stated, and the boys turned to look at her. "It's gotta be some freak attitude accident, or some bug from the museum, because she said no to a date with Conner."

"It wasn't a date!" he protested.

"Course it wasn't," she grinned. "_After_ you added us to the question."

"You're annoying," he glared.

"It's my job," she stated. "I'm a little sister. It's what I was born to do. Ask Tori."

As he continued to glare, she and Ethan went off into a discussion about what could be afflicting their fellow teammate.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Kira ran through the woods outside the Dino Lab, alone. She stopped when she reached the cave entrance, and turned on her communicator. "Dr. O, are you there? It's Kira."

"_Yeah? What's up, Kira?_"

"I was out running just now, and I think I saw something at the edge of the old forest by the lake," she lied brilliantly. "It might be a Dinozord egg. Could you check it out for me? I gotta get home."

"_I'm on my way."_

"Great," she smiled wickedly, ducking in behind a tree. "Thanks."

The cave door opened, and Dr. O came racing out on his Black Dino ATV. He disappeared through the trees right after, and Kira ran into the cave just before the door slammed closed. She entered the Dino Lab, and the eerie voice from earlier was back.

_Now…finish the task…_

She walked towards the metal box she'd watched her teacher place the mysterious bone in the previous day, and used her Ptera Scream to break the padlock apart. Grinning, she opened the box and picked up the bone, staring down at it.

_Excellent…Soon I will be complete…then I will rise again._

Kira looked up, and her eyes shone bright yellow as her pupils were once again turned into viral slits.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Tommy pulled to a stop at the edge of the forest with his Black Dino ATV. Frowning from within his Ranger suit, he looked around.

"Huh, I don't see any Dinozord eggs," he said somewhat sadly, before having a spur of the moment Kaylee response. "Awe, I need a hug." (1)

As he wondered where the heck that had come from, he turned back on his communicator, contacting Kira's com-link. "Kira, it's me. I couldn't find anything out there. Are you sure you saw something?"

"_Oh, wow. I must have been wrong. Thanks for checking it out, Dr. O."_

"No problem," he responded before turning his Dino ATV around and heading back to the lab.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

"So you think Kira's been acting kind of strange?" Tommy inquired, looking at the three teens standing in the lab before him.

"Stranger than strange," Ethan nodded.

"Yeah!" Kaylee nodded. "I mean, she said no to—"

"Kaylee," Conner glared, and she grinned sheepishly.

"She's just, uh, acting un-Kira-ish," Kaylee nodded.

"We just don't know what's wrong with her," Conner continued, remembering her attitude towards him. "I mean, I didn't say anything to make her mad."

"Are you sure?" Ethan arched an eyebrow. "Sometimes you say things you don't think is going to make some people angry, and things end up getting thrown at you."

"Some people?" Kaylee laughed. "Hello, Ethan, that's _just_ Kira!"

"Good point."

"Dudes, I promise," Conner stated. "I didn't say anything."

"Just asking," Ethan nodded.

"And don't call me dude," Kaylee responded.

While they bickered playfully like this, Tommy walked over to the metal box that he noticed was left open. "Alright, you three, I think we may have a bigger problem than that."

"Bigger than Kira breaking Conner's head open with a chair for saying something stupid?" Kaylee frowned, as she and the guys walked over. They noticed he was staring at the box, and her frown increased. "A metal box? A metal box is more potent than a pissed off Ptera Ranger?"

"Ah, it's an _empty_ box," Tommy elaborated. "Don't you remember what was in here earlier?"

"Um, the…random bone?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But not just any random bone. It was the final piece to a creature that was created by Mercer and me years ago."

"Why don't I like where this is going?" Ethan whispered to Kaylee.

"Because everything dino-style that him and Mercer have created has come to life to try and kill us, burn us, blow us up or eat us."

"Oh."

"What kind of creature?" Conner asked, ignoring them.

"Fossilador," Tommy explained. "We were trying to create a dinosaur at one time that had the power of mind control. We scrapped it when it got out of hand."

"Great," Conner rolled his eyes.

"He's like a freaking mad scientist," Kaylee shook her head.

"Everybody's a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos," Ethan recited and they all turned to stare incredulously at him. "Sorry, read that in a book somewhere."

"As long as I had the main support bone, it could never come to life," Tommy went on.

"And that's the random bone?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yes," he nodded, and she slapped a hand to her forehead.

"So, who's the thief?" Ethan asked.

"If it wasn't you three, and it wasn't me, or Hayley, that seriously cuts down the suspects."

"Kira?" Conner frowned.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Kira opened the Storage Room door at the museum, stepping in slowly.

"I have returned as you commanded," she stated.

_Good girl…did you bring it?_

"Yes," she nodded, as her eyes went yellow and viral again. Reaching into her jacket pocket she pulled out the missing bone, placing in on the shelf below Fossilador's skull. Bright white light shone from the pit of the creature's eyes, and soon it engulfed the whole skull.

_Excellent…_

Kira stood by and watched as bones flew off of shelves all around the room, trailing brown-ish lights in their wake as they came together in the middle of the room. Soon, Fossilador stood before her, rejuvenated.

"You have served your purpose," he growled, blasting her with a beam that sent her flying backwards and into a wall. Crying out, she fell to the floor by the doorway, unconscious.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Kaylee, Conner, Ethan, Dr. O and Hayley watched on the view screen as Fossilador appeared in town in giant form as he stomped around, causing lots of destruction.

"I'm going to take a wild stab and say that's your fossil monster?" Ethan inquired.

"Unfortunately, it is," Tommy sighed.

"See, told you they all went big and wanted to kill us," Kaylee stated proudly. "I just forgot to add '_squish u_s' as part of the explanation."

"Any word from Kira?" Hayley questioned, turning to face the teens.

"Nothing," Conner sighed, clutching his red cell phone tightly. "But I've been trying."

"Think, you guys," Tommy urged. "Where could she have come in contact with this thing?"

As the boys frowned thoughtfully, Kaylee's eyes widened and her hand shot into the air.

"Oh! Oh! I know!" she bounced up and down. "We went on a field trip with Mercer, to the museum with the plastic pokable dino out front! Kira ditched me for a while, and when she came back, she started acting all…bleh."

"Bleh?" Tommy frowned.

"Let me translate, I speak mild Kaylee," Ethan sighed. "By _bleh_, she means strange."

"Right," the Black Ranger nodded. "Alright, if that's where Fossilador was being kept, then she might still be there. Someone'll have to go look for her, while the rest of us hold this thing off."

"I'll go," Conner stated suddenly, just as Tommy had been turning to ask Hayley to do it.

"Alright," he smiled, before turning to the other two. "We'd better take the Raptors."

Nodding, Kaylee and Ethan stood together. "DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

"This city is mine!" Fossilador bellowed, stomping through the city as Kaylee, Ethan and Dr. O appeared on their Raptor Riders in behind him.

"Whoa, he's _huge!_" Kaylee breathed.

"Duh, all monsters we fight are huge," Ethan chuckled. "That's what the Megazord is for."

"No I mean, like _**huge**_," Kaylee stated, making her arms stretch out in all directions from her stomach, holding back laughter. "And yet… I can see his bones!"

"Okay, now that one was lame," he shook his head, smiling.

Breaking the moment, a huge lightening blast came crashing down, knocking them all off their Raptor Riders and onto the ground. In a blast of purple light, Zeltrax appeared as they stood.

"You're not going anywhere," Zeltrax growled. "Triptoids!"

Triptoids appeared from behind him, leaping over rubble.

"The Hell?" Kaylee frowned. "What are those things?"

"Apparently, his new compadre," Ethan shrugged, and Kaylee stared at him, dumbfounded.

"The Hell?" she repeated, this time for the word he'd used. "You're going smart on me again!"

"Compadre? Oh, it's pretty simple. It just means—DUCK!"

"Duck? Well, I got a new word for Ducky then-WHOA!" Ethan pulled her down and beneath a huge blast of electrical energy fired off by Zeltrax.

"I meant, duck, as in get the hell down!" Ethan scolded her. "Compadre just means close friend or associate…you know; buddy."

"Oh," she blinked. "Well then…once Trent gives me back my orange buddy, I'll call him Orange Compadre!"

"Oh lord," Ethan rolled his eyes, before the two stood up and broke out into a battle against the horde of Triptoids, while the Black Ranger faced off against Zeltrax as usual.

"You guys go on!" Tommy shouted. "I'll deal with Zeltrax!"

"Okay!" they nodded, before taking off and going after the Fossilador. As the continued to fight, and watched them go, Tommy called on the Brachiozord. Moments later, it appeared in the area, and hatches opened to reveal the Tricerazord and Spinozord, which marched out and ran alongside their Rangers.

Sensing them, Fossilador turned, facing them. It opened its jaw and shot out white smoke that knocked the Zords to the ground.

"Smoke?" Kaylee frowned. "Ethe, did he just knock out our Zords with freaking _smoke_?"

"Yeah, I uh, I think he did," the Blue Ranger nodded. "And I'm already a step ahead of your thinking; The Hell?"

"Hehe, yay!" she grinned.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Conner ran as fast as he could – without using his powers – towards the doors of the museum. He skidded to a stop, attempting to wrench them open only to find that they were locked.

"Crap!" he cursed, before ducking beneath a banister and jumping down a small flight of stairs to the stairs, looking for another way in. Behind him, a museum guard appeared at the top of the steps.

"Excuse me, Sir," she cleared her throat and he slowly turned to see her.

The woman was short, but curvy, and had flowing gold locks that framed her face, which had slight make-up on. If it wasn't for the security guard outfit she wore, she would've looked like a model or a movie star.

These things added up should've immediately drawn Conner into a loss-of-words-drooling state, or at least made him throw on his flirt switch.

The key word of course, being _should've_.

"I'm afraid the museum is closed," she stated. "You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"I can't!" he yelled, and a small part of his mind began shouting at him for ignoring the beauty before him. "I think, uh, I think someone's still in the museum."

"That's impossible," she smiled sweetly. "I've check the building thoroughly."

"Look, we were here on a field trip earlier today," he pressed. "And uh, she left something here and came back to get it a little while ago and hasn't come back and—"

"Sir, I assure there's no one here," she spoke softly, placing a hand on his arm. "I've done the rounds of the building. There's no one—"

"Dammit!" he snapped, deciding it was time to slip into something he did very well - lying. "My girlfriend is in there! Alone! And she hates bones, even if they're dinosaur bones! She was scared out of her wits earlier and I was stupid to let her come here alone! Please, you gotta help me! If I don't get her outta there…if she finds out I left when…"

"Alright, alright," she nodded, grabbing her keys. "I suppose I could look one last time."

"Awesome!" Conner grinned, following. It was only when they walked through the entrance to the museum that Conner noticed a part of the story he'd made up. _Did I just say…girlfriend? Dude, she'd __**kill**__ me if she knew!_

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Looking up at their Zords, Kaylee frowned, before glancing at Ethan. "Think there's any way we could make the Megazord without Conner and Kira?"

"No way!" he shook his head. "That time with the space rock, me, Conner and Kira made the Z-Rex Blaster without you and _that_ was almost too much!"

"Hmm…," she scratched the back of her helmet. "What about Auxiliary Zords?"

"What about 'em?" he inquired. "We're missing two."

"Yeah, but we've still got the…Parasaurzord!" she grinned. "And uh…yeah…and, oh! Why don't we try using Dr. O's Zord? Like, more than just for a Megazord helmet this time?"

"It might work," he nodded, before looking at her and not moving.

"What?"

"Well, you're the Dinozord Whisperer," he stated. "You do it."

"Fine!" she sighed, before laughing. "Chicken."

"Am not!" he yelled, but she wasn't listening as she pressed a few things on her morpher.

Within no time the Brachiozord lumbered towards their other Zords, accompanied by the Parasaurzord. As the Green and Blue Rangers watched, the Brachio transformed into the body, the Parasaurzord became the head, helmet and defenses, and their two Zords became the arms.

"Sweet!" both grinned, pumping their fists into the air before jumping into the green and blue cockpit. It looked a little shabbier than usual, but was still intact.

"Alright, let's hope this holds till the others get here," Ethan stated, and Kaylee nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed. "In the meantime, let's get fighting uh…what are we calling this thing?"

"What do you mean?" Ethan frowned as he directed their makeshift Megazord to dodge an attack thrown by the Fossilador.

"Well, our Megazord is usually named the Thundersaurus Megazord," Kaylee stated. "This one needs a name!"

"Do we really need to? This'll probably be the only time we use it!"

"Exactly!" she grinned. "So it needs to be remembered!"

"Well…I dunno! I don't really care!" he shrugged. "We've got a huge monster to fight here!"

"Fine," she muttered. "But I'm calling it the Duckysaurus Megazord."

Their creation ran towards Fossilador, locking into a fight with it that didn't last long before they were blasted back a few steps. Ethan groaned, turning on his com-link.

"Dr. O, any news from Conner on finding Kira yet?"

"_Nope…I'll keep you posted._"

"Alright," he sighed, returning to help Kaylee fight. "I hope they get here soon."

"I don't!" Kaylee giggled, directing the 'Duckysaurus Megazord' to use the Spino Blade arm to slash Fossilador across the chest. "I'm having a blast!"

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

The Storage Room door swung open and Conner's heart fell as he saw Kira lying on the floor, a small welt forming on the right side of her forehead. "Kira!"

He rushed in, barely aware or caring that the guard stood in the doorway, watching. He kneeled down beside her, lifting her into a sitting position in his arms. "Kira," he pleaded. "Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled, moving slightly and her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Yeah, I'm fine. What…Conner, what are you—"

"You scared the shit outta me!" he swore, pulling her into a tight hug. She was awkward at first, especially when she saw the guard, but fell into the hug, not knowing what else to do as he wasn't letting go.

"Conner," she whispered. "What the heck are you doing?"

He froze, realizing his actions and he pulled away slightly, coughing a bit. "Uh…um," he searched from something not incredibly stupid to say, and instead dropping his voice so only she could hear. "The guard uh, only let me cuz I ranted about my _girlfriend_ being trapped so…"

"Oh, right," she nodded, slipping into character as she returned his hug. "_You_ were scared? I was terrified! But…I'm better now…"

"Good," he smiled, and inside her mind she frowned at the sincerity in his voice and actions. She pushed the thought away, figuring it was because he was pretty darn good at acting it up.

Her gaze trailed over to the empty shelves and she gasped, pulling away. "Oh no…oh god I, I set that thing—"

"Are you okay to get up?" Conner inquired, aware the guard was still watching.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded and he helped her to her feet.

"Should I call a doctor?" the guard asked as she stepped into the room.

"Uh, no," Kira shook her slightly throbbing head. "No, I-uh, we just, uh, need to get home."

She grabbed Conner's hand, pulling him past the guard and out of the room. She picked up the pace and he found himself running after her, since she still clutched his hand. Once they made it outside, she slowed down and they walked up the steps away from the museum.

"I can't believe I was responsible for letting that thing come to life," Kira sighed.

"It wasn't your fault, you weren't morphed so…you couldn't stop it from controlling your mind," Conner stated, before frowning. "Or uh, something like that. I dunno…I wasn't listening much when Hayley and Dr. O explained it."

"Naturally," she teased and he glared at her a little.

"Be quiet! I was too busy worrying about you to hear what they were saying!" he snapped, and it took a second or two to curse his horrible habit of not screening the thoughts that left his brain and exited through his mouth.

"You were worried?" she smiled sweetly.

"No…well…sorta…," he shrugged, sighing. "Yeah."

"Thank you," she thoughtfully squeezed the hand she still held, and then realized she was _still_ holding it, before she let go quickly, hoping it had gone unnoticed.

It hadn't. But because a look of worry crossed her features, he didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?"

"The others…that creature…Fossilador…it grew huge. So…the others would probably be fighting it and…," she stammered, before tightening her fists. "I'm going over there."

"You sure?" he frowned. "I mean, you were kinda out of it earlier and, with the mind control thing from the Fossil dude…uh…"

"Thanks for worrying about me, really, but it's time you stop," she laughed a bit, patting him on the arm. "Because _nobody_ messes with my mind, and gets away with it."

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Ethan and Kaylee's makeshift Megazord was still battling relentlessly in the downtown area when a Ptera Scream ripped through the air. Inside the cockpit, Ethan and Kaylee looked up into the sky to see the Pterazord come flying in.

Keeping up pace with it on the ground below was the Tyrannozord, and the two realized that Kira stood on the beak of the Pterazord, unmorphed, just as Conner crouched on the head of the Tyrannozord, unmorphed as well.

"Awesome!" Kaylee grinned. "They're here!"

"You ready?" Kira yelled, her voice carrying on the wind and down to Conner, as well as through their morphers.

"Definitely," he grinned, and simultaneously, they morphed.

As they jumped into their Zords, they charged towards the makeshift Megazord and Ethan grinned, pressing the button to phase with the others.

As the Thundersaurus Megazord formed and both the extra parts of the Brachio and the Auxiliary Parasaur were returned to normal, Kaylee sighed. "Bye-bye Duckysaurus Megazord."

"What did you just say?" Kira laughed as she appeared in the cockpit alongside Conner.

"Kira!" the Green Ranger squeaked happily, launching herself at the Yellow Ranger with a huge bear hug.

"Hey, alright, okay," Kira chuckled, trying to peel the Green Ranger off her.

"Do you feel unloved?" she inquired, laughing.

"Huh?"

"Never mind, long story," Kaylee shook her head.

"Well, you can tell me after we waste this old bone," Kira stated, slipping into her place in the Megazord, feeling right at home again. From across the street, Fossilador laughed.

Well now, that just pissed her off more. "Pterarang!" she shouted, and the Megazord whipped the sharp yellow boomerang pieces at the monster, cutting off its raised claws.

"Nice try!" it cackled, and its claws grew back.

"Ah man!" Kaylee cried.

"No way!" Conner cried.

In response, Fossilador blew more white steam at the Megazord, and rocked dangerously, threatening to keel over at any moment.

"Ethan!" Kaylee whined. "It's attacking us with smoke again! The Hell!"

As Kira and Conner frowned, Ethan merely laughed. "Guy's got some pretty nasty prehistoric breath."

"I'm just getting started," Fossilador roared, rushing towards the Megazord. He grabbed onto it, sending waves of electrical energy over its body. The Rangers inside held on as the whole cockpit and Megazord rocked dangerously.

"_Hang on, guys_!" Tommy called through the morphers. "_Kira! Aim for the spot where you put the missing bone. That's where he's most vulnerable._"

"Right," she nodded, and Conner let her take over at the helm as a targeting screen came online before them. She directed the system and it locked onto a space in Fossilador's neck. "Locked on! Tyranno Drill!"

"Aww, it's so cute! They're sharing toys!" Kaylee giggled.

The Megazord leapt up as the Tyranno Drill spun around and around, stabbing into the creature's neck. As it landed, they watched as Fossilador shrieked in anger and pain, before exploding. From the ground, Tommy watched, smiling.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

Kira, Conner, Kaylee and Ethan walked down the stairs into the Ranger Base, where Tommy and Hayley sat the computers, working.

"I'm _so_ happy you're back to normal, Kira!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"Yeah, you were pretty scary there for a while," Ethan agreed.

"I'm so sorry I was mean to you guys," Kira sighed.

"No, don't worry about it," he waved it off.

"Yeah, I mean, we're kind of used to it," Conner chuckled, and again, cursed the unresponsive nerves between his brain and his mouth as Kira turned to glare at him.

"Remember what we were saying about those things you say from time to time?" Ethan started.

"That was one of 'em!" Kaylee giggled.

"Oh…right, well, I…," Conner stammered, looking back at Kira. "Look, I uh, I…"

Seeing his discomfort, her glare faded into a quirky smile. "Man, you are _so_ easy to pull one over on," she grinned.

He smirked, before reaching down and ruffling up her hair. She squeaked indignantly and returned the gesture, and the two fell into a bout of friend annoyances while the other two watched, laughing.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

"So, you wanna play it first?" Kaylee inquired, going over a list of songs for today's set with Kira.

"Yeah, it kinda just feels right, y'know?" she smiled. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," the blonde shook her head, smiling as well. "I think it's about time…"

"Kaylee," Kira warned. "Don't start."

"Awe, but c'mon! You know I'm right!"

"No! Now stop it! Or else, you might make me mad!"

"Ha, you aren't the Hulk! Green's _my_ color-ow!"

"Told you."

"Why, must you _always_ hit me?" Kaylee whined, rubbing a part of her head where the notebook had struck moments before.

"Trust me, she hits me _way_ more than she hits you," Conner chuckled as he sat down at their table, and he frowned in Kira's direction. "Why is that again?"

"You say stupider things?" Kaylee suggested, giggling. "More often?"

"Maybe," Kira shrugged. "And maybe you just bring out the bigger violence in me."

"Well, I'm flattered," he stated proudly, exaggerating as he placed a hand over his heart. "I can only hope to trigger many more delightful actions, because I'm a sucker for punishment."

"Alright, Mr. Sarcasm," Kira chuckled, tapping him on the fingers with her pencil. "I get the point."

"Point, pencil, that's a good one," a voice mused, and Kaylee squeaked with happiness as she turned around, launching herself at a brunette guy that, as far as Kira and Conner could remember, had not been standing there moments before.

"Dustin!" she cried happily. "It's so awesome that you came!"

"Well, I said I'd drop by near the end of the week," he smiled as she pulled away. "Any later and I was cutting it kinda close."

"Aw, that woulda been sad!" Kaylee mock-pouted.

"Well, I know just what'll cheer you up," he grinned, reaching into the backpack on his shoulder. Seconds later, he pulled his hand out, and a blob of plastic white and blue came with him.

Although it looked exactly like a blob of plastic white and blue to the Red and Yellow Dino Rangers, Kaylee realized that it was something totally different and her eyes widened.

"Oh. My. God!" she cried, hopping up and down like a kid that was sugar-high. "DUCKY!"

Her arms shot out, grabbing the mound of plastic from her boyfriend and hugging it tightly. She then frowned, shook her head, and proceeded in blowing air into a tiny whole on the object, and the others watched as it filled with air, inflating and inflating.

Soon enough, a white and blue inflatable plastic duck was before them, tightly wrapped in their friend's arms as she cuddled it like a puppy. "Ducky, oh my poor Ducky, I missed you _so_ much!"

"Ahem," Dustin coughed, eyebrows arched.

Without a word, Kaylee placed the duck on his head and grinned like the happiest little kid in the whole world. "There," she stated proudly, before launching herself at them in a hug. "I missed you _both_ so much!"

"Yeah, you haven't been around in awhile, Dustin," Kira frowned.

"Busy with the teaching," he sighed, and she nodded.

"What's hard now?" Kaylee inquired, letting him go from her near-death-grip.

"Nothing really, we're just getting into some…exams," he clarified, aware that Conner did not know about his duties in Blue Bay Harbor, whereas the girls did. "One of my students, Eric, is doing pretty wicked, and so I'm spending more time teaching him…new learning thingies."

"Eric," Conner mused. "Heh, that's my brother's name. And he goes to school in Blue Bay too!"

They all laughed, but the Red Ranger was not aware that the other three were in fact sharing a laugh at his expense, because he knew so little of the small world around them. Kaylee smiled widely again as she turned to her boyfriend.

"So, how come you brought him?" she inquired, pointing at the plastic animal on his head. "Not that I didn't want my Ducky to come, but how random!"

"Well, you left if at my house last time you visited, and I kept forgetting to give it to Tor," he replied. "Oh, and I couldn't very well put it in the mail."

"Why not?" Conner frowned, and Dustin paused to look at him.

"Because, they would've squished him up to make him fit in a box, or envelope," he stated.

"Yeah," Kaylee nodded, grinning happily. "It gives him indigestion."

As Dustin put his arm around Kaylee, the whole group broke into smiles that mirrored Kaylee's, because they were just that damn contagious.

Breaking the moment, Ducky was shifted when Dustin laughed, and fell off his head, only to have Kaylee leap to catch it.

"Phew, that was close," she sighed.

"So uh, what's with saving the plastic thing?" Conner frowned. "It's not like it'll die if it touches the floor."

Kaylee stared at him, agape, and the Yellow Rangers looked at one another. "Clearly, he doesn't understand the phenomena that is Ducky," Kira shook her head.

"With a rubber duck, one's never alone," Kaylee stated, placing Ducky on her head as she looked at Conner in a scolding manner. "So, the duck must always be kept safe."

Conner smiled, giving up on trying to have the Ducky thing explained to him, and thanked Hayley as she brought a small plate of fries to him. He noticed Kira reaching for some, and tapped her hand with a ketchup packet, much like she'd done before with a pencil.

"You could ask," he smirked.

"I know," she grinned, her hand darting to grab a fry. "But this is easier – and more fun."

"Guys…," Kaylee whimpered, and the three looked at her, worried by her sudden change in attitude. "You know what I just realized? People kill and eat ducks!"

As the other three resisted the urge to slap their hands to their foreheads, Kaylee ripped Ducky from her head, holding him close to her heart. "DUCKY!"

"Don't worry Kayl, it's not rubber and inflatable ones they eat," Kira laughed.

"But…people are twisted…," she sniffled.

"Kayl," Dustin stepped in. "Plastic and inflatable ducks will choke and kill them. They won't try eating Ducky."

"But…they could…um…," she looked around fearfully as she clutched her plastic friend closer. Suddenly her eyes widened and she leaned closer to Kira and Dustin (because Conner was busy munching away on his fries and not listening). "What about monsters, huh? Monsters could eat plastic! Oh! If Mesogog or any other Reefside bad guy _dares_ go near Ducky, I'm killing them! No one even _thinks_ of roasting my duck and gets away with it!"

"Take that one Kelzack for example," Dustin grinned.

"Exactly," Kaylee nodded vigorously. "That Kelzack was dead before…something really fast could happen. Yeah! And…and…I'm never eating duck!"

"It's alright Kaylee," Kira smiled, patting her friend on the shoulder. "You swear off Ducks, I've sworn off meat. We've just got more cool things in common now."

"You're vegetarian?" Dustin and Conner frowned at the same time, looking at the dirty blonde. The only difference was that Conner's statement was muffled by the fries in his mouth.

"Yeah," she nodded, smiling a tad shyly.

"Coo'," Conner grinned, before realizing he had fries in his mouth and he gulped them down, being able to smile and speak properly. "Cool. Never met one before."

"Thanks," she smiled, a little more genuinely this time.

And then the moment passed as the band onstage called to the two girls.

"Good luck up there, Rockstar," Conner smirked charmingly, before he and Dustin went to wait by the edge of the stage where fans were already approaching. The girls then got onstage and found their way to their microphones.

Still slightly shy in front of the Cyberspace crowd after all this time, Kira cleared her throat, making sure things were in check and those waiting around were listening before she began, with a little helpful smile and thumbs-up from Kaylee.

"Hey everybody, thanks for coming today. So um, there are very few people in this world that are close enough to know me real well," Kira began, speaking into the microphone as the Cyberspace crowd watched her. "Mostly, I figured it was my mom, and Kaylee here."

"Hi!" Kaylee grinned sheepishly, waving.

"But earlier this week, I discovered that among my friends, there's another who stands above the rest when it comes to figuring me out," she went on. "He's always there to listen, and helps me when I need it. And it's thanks to him that we finally have something new to play today."

"It's called '_I Will Be_'," she stated as Kaylee strummed the first few chords, and Kira smiled, adding her own guitar. "Jockboy, this one's for you."

From their place by the stage, Dustin nudged Conner, and the Red Ranger grinned like a big goofball. A flash of recognition flashed across the former Yellow Wind Ranger's mind, and he knew that Kaylee had spoken rightly about this team's Red and Yellow.

_**There's nothing I can say to you  
Nothing I could ever do to make you see  
What you mean to me, all the pain the tears they cry  
Still you never said goodbye and now I know, how far you'd go  
I know I let you down but its not like that now  
This time I'll never let you go**_

_**I will be, all that you want and get my self together  
Cause you keep me from falling apart  
All my life, I'll be with you forever  
To get you through the day and make everything OK**_

_**I thought that I had everything, I didn't know what life could bring  
But now I see, honestly  
You're the one thing I got right, the only one I let inside  
Now I can breath, cause your here with me  
And if I let you down I'll turn it all around  
Cause I would never let you go**_

_**I will be, all that you want and get my self together  
Cause you keep me from falling apart  
All my life, I'll be with you forever  
To get you through the day and make everything OK**_

_**Cause without you, I can't sleep  
I'm not gonna ever ever let you leave  
You're all I got, you're all I want, yeah!  
And without you I don't know what I'll do  
I could never ever live a day without you  
Here, with me, do you see, you're all I need?**_

_**And I will be, all that you want and get my self together  
Cause you keep me from falling apart  
All my life (my life) I'll be with you forever  
To get you through the day and make everything OK**_

_**I will be (I'll be) all that you want and get my self together  
Cause you keep me from falling apart  
And all my life, you know I'll be with you forever  
To get you through the day and make everything OK…**_

"Thank you…," both girls smiled as the crowd launched itself into a wondrous applause.

And through the fray of the crowd, a pair of hazel eyes found caramel ones, and unspoken words passed between them as cheers and excitement rang out around them. Things had happened recently, and those that knew them well (like persistent Kaylee, for example), could say that things were going to change, sooner or later.

_The song was just the first piece of the puzzle_…Kaylee thought to herself, grinning.

xX-The-Missing-Bone-Xx

**Copyrights:** Alright, I didn't want to put this at the beginning, for fear of ruining the ending, so now; in that case, "I Will Be" is Avril Lavigne's song, not mine (and quite possibly a cover of someone who I can't remember the name of anyway). So yeah, that's about it. Oh, and for the purpose of this story, pretend that Kira Ford wrote it. Okay? Thank you! :)

(1) Dr. O's line of "Aw, I need a hug." was never actually in the series, but was added for own personal amusement, because my friends **Lily Hanson**, **What Would B Do.** and I were watching the episode, and he says "Huh, there's no Dinozord egg here," really sadly. Also, if you watch the few second clip from the end of Buffy episodes with Mutant Enemy, the monster does this "Grr, Arr" thing, that, once searched on youtube, may bring up a clip with Homer's "Aw, I need a hug." Yeah, we're random.


	16. Lost and Found In Translation

_Lost and Found in Translation._

* * *

"C'mon stupid keys, c'mon!" Kaylee muttered, fumbling with a ring full of keys. Her small fingers had scanned each and every one of them, but for some reason, she _still_ hadn't come across the one she was looking for.

"Ethan will have started, watched and finished his movie by the time she gets this right!" Conner groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Well, it is _Ethan_ picking a movie so…," Kira trailed off, and they both smiled. "Besides, he's supposed to have met us at the library, remember?"

"Like you two minded," Kaylee commented, continuing to struggle with the keys. "You would've stayed there forever if me and Dustin hadn't showed up to tell you what time it—God, stupid freaking keys! The Hell!"

"Kayl, calm down," Dustin laughed. "Didn't Hayley teach you which keys are which?"

"Dustin, you got here yesterday, for our set, right?" Kaylee inquired, pausing from the key search to look at her boyfriend.

"Yeah…"

"Well I started working an hour before that!" the blonde exclaimed, and he laughed.

"Oh," he grinned sheepishly, making Kaylee giggle. She was glad he was staying in town for a day or two – it gave her more time to spend with him (when she wasn't on Ranger duty or at school, of course).

"Gimme those," Kira sighed, grabbing the ring of keys. She rifled through them for a moment, her brow creased in thought. She smiled a few moments later, and stuck a key into the lock, turning it.

As they heard the click, she cried triumphantly, taking the keys and handing them to Kaylee. The blonde took the keys, merely sticking her tongue out at her friend, before pushing the door open.

The four stepped inside the darkened cyber café, squinting slightly as their eyes adjusted. They only took a few steps before stopping, and frowning at the odd sounds they could hear coming from the TV area.

"What's going on?" Conner whispered.

"No clue," Kira shrugged, looking up at him.

Hearing a high-pitched cartoon-like laughter, followed by Ethan's burst of laughter, Dustin grinned goofily. "Let's go see!"

"Dude, what're you doing?" Conner asked as they approached the Blue Ranger, who sat in the middle of the couch, large popcorn bowl resting on his stomach and huge orange remote in hand. "You were supposed to be at the library?"

"Hayley got a new satellite dish!" Ethan exclaimed excitedly. "Nine hundred and thirty-seven channels of paradise!"

"Nine hundred and thirty-seven channels?" Kira frowned.

"How random!" Kaylee laughed.

"I bet there's still nothing on," Kira continued, and before Kaylee could add to that train of thought, Dustin poked her arm and pointed towards the extra popcorn bowl resting on the edge of the table.

"POPCORN!" she yelled happily, leaping for the round and orange piece of plastic.

"Are you kidding me?" Ethan chuckled, never removing his eyes from the screen. "This is amazing! Four-language soap operas, sumo wrestling, junior high school girls' synchronized swimming! I may never leave this room again!"

His mood dropped the moment Conner leaned over, and turned off the big screen TV.

"Hey!" he cried, turning it back on with the remote. "I was watching that!"

"What about your social studies assignment on the parallels of two countries?" Conner asked as Kaylee and Dustin took up residence on the small loveseat couch.

"I'm almost done!" Ethan whined, his eyes never leaving the TV.

"Me too," Kira nodded, joining the Blue Ranger on the larger sofa.

"Dustin helped me with it last night," Kaylee shrugged before shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Well, I haven't started," Conner sighed, turning around. "See you guys later."

Ethan shrugged, changing to another channel and the eyes of all four teens watching widened. He snapped forward in his seat, much like the others. "No way! Conner, c'mere!"

"Project!" the Red Ranger called, heading towards the door.

"Jockboy, c'mon, you have _got_ to see this!" Kira tried, and the soccer star sighed. Damn her and her ability to make him change his mind so quickly.

He turned, and came back, heading towards the sofa where Ethan and Kira sat. The Blue Ranger looked up, smirking, and surreptitiously moved to the other part of the couch, leaving the space beside Kira clear.

Conner sat down, and looked up at the TV screen to see…wait, _himself_? The Red Dino Ranger! And with him were Blue, Yellow and Green Rangers, in the credits for some Japanese show.

"Whoa! It's us…," he breathed, eyes wide, noticing that Dustin was in the room. "Us's town's Rangers!"

"You'll have to excuse him, he has a speech impediment," Ethan covered quickly. "Sometimes, he doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

Dustin smiled, exchanging glances with Kira and Kaylee, before all three burst out laughing. The girls laughed so hard they nearly fell off the couch, were it not for the male Rangers seated beside them keeping them from doing so.

"Dude! That excuse was hilarious!" Dustin exclaimed, making Kaylee giggle more.

"Did you see their faces?!" she wheezed.

"Wait!" Conner cried, standing up. "You know?"

"I might…," Dustin grinned, and the three burst out laughing again.

"I think that's a yes," Ethan frowned. "But…how?"

Kaylee stopped laughing at this point, looking up at the Blue Ranger with a "_duh, how do you think?_" sort of look. "Oh…," he sighed. "Wait! But…but…we're not supposed to tell anyone!"

"Yeah!" Conner nodded. "It was one of those golden rules."

"Dr.O's cool with it," Kira informed the boys, grabbing Conner's arm and making him sit down again as the intro credits to the show were nearing an end. "C'mon, just relax, and watch. I wanna see what this is all about."

"According to the satellite guide it's a Japanese TV show about the world famous Power Rangers!" Ethan exclaimed, reading off the booklet he'd just picked up. "They even dubbed it in English!"

"We're a TV show in Japan?" Kira grinned. "I've _got_ to see this!"

"Can't remember them making one about us," Dustin whispered to his girlfriend, who giggled.

"Aww, Dustin jealous?" she teased, before throwing more popcorn into her mouth.

"This is whack," Conner muttered, eating some popcorn of his own.

"How do you know its whack?" Ethan frowned. "You haven't even given it a chance."

"It wasn't even made here!" the Red Ranger retorted. "I mean, what would they know about Power Rangers in Japan?"

"Only one way to find out!" Dustin exclaimed, turning up the volume on the TV as the intro credits ended and the show finally began.

"I agree, I wanna know what they think of us," Kira nodded, perched on the edge of her seat. Slouching in the seat beside her, Conner sighed.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_Who wants to try some of my curry?!" the girl clad in yellow, Ranru Itsuki, inquired, putting her finishing touches on a dish of food. She brought it over to the counter, where a guy wearing red and a girl wearing green stood._

"_Mmm, smells delicious!" the green-girl, Emiri Itsuki, breathed happily. "Just like mom used to make it! I'm glad she passed her cooking skills onto you!"_

"_Sure looks good," the red-guy, Ryouga Hakua, agreed, looking up as a blue-clad teen entered the restaurant._

"_Hey, how's it going?" he nodded._

"_Hey!" all three replied, smiling._

_The blue-guy, Yukito Sanjyou, found himself a small table to sit at, unfolding his newspaper. He stared at the main article a moment, before groaning. "Whacker Wilson's coming to Japan! Those American baseball players are always so greedy!"_

"_How do you know?" a voice inquired, and Yukito looked down to see his Blue Tricera Morpher's eyes had lit up as it spoke._

"_Ack!" a voice from behind him yelled, and Yukito turned to see Ryouga backing away from the counter, dropping a spoon as his hand flailed before his mouth. "Too spicy!"_

"_Toughen up!" Ranru snickered, grinning._

"_That's not how mom made it!" Emiri shook her head._

"_You guys should taste my curry," Yukito stated, standing up and walking over to the counter._

"_I can't taste anything anymore!" Ryouga whined, his mouth wide open and tongue burning._

"_I'll make some," Yukito offered, ignoring the complaints of the Red Ranger. "You'll love it."_

_Yukito grabbed a pineapple, tossing it into the air and—_

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"Hey!" four teens yelled, all eyes turning towards Conner, who threw the remote onto the table, a look of annoyance set on his features.

"Wha' you do dat for?" Ethan grumbled through a mouthful of popcorn as he snatched the remote off the table.

"Yeah! It was funny!" Kaylee agreed, before pointing at Kira. "Me and her were sisters!"

"This is totally weird," Conner muttered. "They've got it all wrong. I mean, did you see the red guy? He's nothing like me!"

"Conner, he's not supposed to be," Dustin chuckled. "That's what secret identities are for."

"A lotta good those did," the Red Ranger scoffed, referring to the fact that Dustin knows.

"Aw, Jockboy, be nice. Just because something's different, it doesn't mean it's bad," Kira stated, placing a hand on his arm.

"Egg salad!" Kaylee nodded, receiving odd looks from everyone but Dustin.

"It means 'exactly'," the motocrosser chuckled.

"What he said!" the Green Ranger continued. "I mean, Tori's my sister, not Kira, so they got that wrong, but still! It's cool!"

"Yeah, and I'm nothing like the blue guy," Ethan added, aiming the remote at the TV and turning it back on. "I just wanna see what kinda curry he makes."

As the screen flickered back to life, a large castle came into view. "Hey, check it out!" Kira started. "That must be the evil villain's lair! Let's see what old freak-bones is like!"

"Ohh, and don't forget Emo Barbie and Ken!" Kaylee added.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_I hate the Power Rangers!" Jannu, the evil villain's right hand woman, growled angrily. "But the Black Ranger I hate most of all!"_

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"Uh…Emo Barbie?" Kira shrugged, unsure. "She's got a fixation on Dr.O's counterpart just like Elsa."

"Alright, Emo Barbie it is!" the blonde nodded. "This one…just comes in bright red!"

"Wait a minute…," Ethan paused as the main villain stepped onscreen, taunting Jannu. They watched in awe as the scene played out, before nearly all of them fell out of their seats laughing.

"Mesagog's a _girl_!" Kaylee giggled.

"Worse yet, a _little_ girl!" Kira stated, further adding to the laughter until their sides hurt. She wiped a tear from her eye, and noticed that despite all this, Conner didn't seem amused. As one of the henchmen created a monster to give people bad hair, he groaned.

"_That's_ their evil plan?" he scoffed. "Bad hair?"

"Hey, I've seen you have some pretty bad hair days," Kira teased, trying to get a rise out of him. He turned to glare at her mildly, and she grinned, knowing they were getting somewhere. "It's kind of scary."

"Shh!" Ethan snapped, shoving popcorn in his mouth.

And yet…there was Ethan, present to ruin all moments.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_What is it?" Ryouga questioned as he, Ranru and Emiri crowded around a plate of…odd-looking food, made by Yukito. Together, they looked up at the chef._

"_Curry Fruit Surprise," he answered, smiling weakly. "Try it."_

"_Uh…," all three Rangers hesitated, standing up straight and exchanging glances, before turning away and starting to walk._

"_Guys…?" Yukito called after them, and the grinned sheepishly at him._

"_I can't eat that!" Ranru whispered, leaning in to form a half circle with the other two. "I'll hurl!"_

"_I have acid reflux," Emiri complained._

"_Okay…then who's going to try it?" Ryouga asked, and the girls smiled, looking at him. "No!"_

_Like an answer to their prayers, the door opened and in came a middle-aged man. "Top o' the mornin' to ya!" he greeted; making all three Rangers smile widely._

"_Mr. Oshanasee!" Ranru waved._

"_Have we got something for you!" Ryouga agreed, and the patron grimaced seeing their over-eager expressions._

"_I'm outta here!" he declared, turning around._

"_Wait!" Emiri called, waving him back as Ryouga and Ranru rushed forward to grab him._

"_I hope you're hungry!" Ryouga grinned, leading the man to a table. "Here, have a seat."_

"_Have we got a big surprise for you!" Ranru smiled, looking up at her sister. "Go get it!"_

"_Right!" Emiri nodded, rushing to find the platter Yukito had made. As he watched, eyes wide, she delivered it to Mr. Oshanasee. "Here it is! Yummy, yummy!"_

"_It smells funny!" he declared, wrinkling his nose._

"_Just one bite," Ryouga urged._

"_Hey, Asuka!" Emiri greeted, and they all stood up to see their Black Ranger walk over, looking slightly distant. "What're you doing here?"_

"_I'm staving," he told her, rubbing his stomach. "You got anything to eat around here?"_

"_This is your lucky day!" Mr. Oshanasee exclaimed, springing up from his seat and holding the platter out for Asuka._

"_It's free?" Asuka frowned._

"_I'd pay you to eat it!" the man declared, and that was good enough for Asuka, who grabbed a few pieces and hungrily began devouring it._

"_Uhh…," the others grimaced, watching him._

"_He likes it!" Yukito exclaimed happily. "He really likes it!"_

"_So it seems…," Ranru nodded, but her smile turned into a frown when Asuka stopped chewing and his face twisted. Suddenly, his hand flew to his mouth and he ran off in the direction of the bathroom._

_Then, the screen nearby went off with an alarm. "Uh oh," Ryouga stated, watching the flashing screen. "Looks like we've got an emergency!"_

"_I'll show you out Mr. Oshanasee!" Ranru announced, grabbing the man by the arm and hauling him towards the door, platter still in hand. She leaned her head out the door, smiling sweetly. "You can have it to go!"_

_And then she slammed the door shut. She returned to find Ryouga and Yukito at the super computer as a tracking signal flickered to life._

"_Alien life forms detected downtown!" Yukito informed her._

"_Right," Ryouga nodded, before looking towards Emiri, who kneeled before the bathroom door. "How's he doing in there?"_

"_Black Ranger, we need you!" she called through the door, knocking on it, but her only response was a painful groan._

"_We don't have time!" Ryouga announced, turning towards the door. "C'mon Rangers!"_

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"Oh, come on!" Conner groaned a few moments later when the scene shifted to the lakefront area where Whacker Wilson had just come across today's monster as it terrorized people. "That is _so_ a guy in a rubber suit!"

"No one said this was a documentary," Ethan pointed out.

"Yeah," Kira grinned, nudging Conner with her elbow as she twirled a piece of her hair in one hand. "C'mon, Jockboy, use that imagination of yours."

"Like anyone's gonna believe a combination of bear, ATM machine and mushroom!" he pointed out, numbering off the components of the monster.

"It's not any stranger than what we fight!" Kaylee replied. "I mean, we got Dinosaurs, or the cross between the donkey and the vacuum cleaner. Oh! And that one time, we had that shark, car part and flower mix!"

Conner rolled his eyes, because apparently his friends weren't changing their minds about this show anytime soon. So, reluctantly, he went back to watching.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_My name is Kaching!" the monster declared. "A monster who feeds off of greed! With my magic wigs, I will soon control the world!"_

_A tiny mushroom appeared in the bear's paw, and it launched it through the air, hitting some random guy in the head. Seconds later, a large pink wig grew out. He tossed another mushroom, this time giving an old woman deep blue hair._

"_What the…?" Whack Wilson frowned as people went running by, followed by the stomping Kaching monster._

"_Lookie here?" Kaching cackled. "American tourist! You look like you're ready for a new do!"_

"_Hey!" a yell interrupted the creature's monologue, and it turned to see four teens running up. "Bear…monster…thing!"_

"_Wait your turn!" Kaching bellowed._

"_Let's do it!" Ryouga exclaimed, and he, as well as the other three, swung their morphers into formation._

"_DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"_

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

As the Rangers onscreen morphed, Ethan looked at his friends. "I didn't tell anyone!" he swore. "You guys?"

"Other than Dustin…," Kaylee shook her head. _And Tori…_ "Nope!"

"Not me!" Kira agreed.

"Hey, at least we're getting some action," Conner commented, watching a morph that was in many ways different from their own, and that included long-winded morphing cries.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_Red Ranger, Tyranno Power!"_

"_Ptera Power, Yellow Ranger!"_

"_Spino Power, Green Ranger!"_

"_Tricera Power, Blue Ranger!"_

"_Raw Thunder!" Ryouga continued, a blast of power and strength filling them all._

"_DINO RANGERS!" they cried together._

"_Very impressive," Kaching taunted, clapping its large paws. "But I brought Special Guest Stars. Triptoids!"_

_A series of foot soldiers appeared behind him, bypassing Whacker Wilson entirely. Leaping past Kaching, the Red Ranger began to battle the foot soldiers, quickly joined by his fellow Rangers._

"_Smashing, bashing, all paid in cash!" Kaching exclaimed, not making much sense. "Wait till I unleash my mushrooms on the Rangers!"_

_He threw out four small mushrooms, and each one hit their target. Wigs grew on their heads, and they stopped a moment to re-do their posing from earlier._

"_Red Ranger!" Ryouga exclaimed, a brown wig on his helmet. __**Horse sound.**_

"_Yellow Ranger!" Ranru cried, a purple on adorning her helmet. __**Cat sound.**_

"_Green Ranger!" Emiri added, her pale blue wig shaking. __**Duck sound.**_

"_Blue Ranger!" Yukito finished, his blonde wig falling into the front of his helmet. __**Dog sound.**_

"_WIGGY RANGERS!" they shouted together, posing like a L'Oréal commercial._

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"Ah, oh, that's it!" Conner rolled his eyes, looking down at Kira. "I mean, they're totally making fun of us. I'm outta here!"

"Wait!" Kira pleaded, holding onto his arm with one hand while the other found a bag by the floor. "C'mon, Con, it's just for fun."

"Yeah, don't you wanna see how it ends?" Kaylee giggled, leaning back on Dustin.

"Well, it's not funny anymore, it's stupid," he snapped, and she retracted her arm, looking slightly hurt. He stood, grabbed his bag and walked past the TV, pausing a moment to answer Kaylee. "And it ends with me going out that door, going to the library and finishing my report!"

He glanced at Kira one last time, knowing that he was going to feel the remorse for snapping at her later on, before turning toe and walking out. The others watched him leave, sadly.

"Bummer," Dustin sighed.

"It's okay," Kira stated, a smile tugging at her lips. "He'll be back."

"For you? Duh," Kaylee snickered, only to have a small throw-pillow be, well, thrown at her head. "Ow!"

"He '_forgot_' something," the Yellow Ranger grinned, opening her hand to reveal the memory stick on which Conner had saved the rules and beginning to his social studies project.

"You stole Conner's memory stick?" Ethan gasped.

"More like, borrowed," Kira snickered, turning back to the TV. "Now, shh, and watch!"

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_This is gonna be hilarious!" Kaching snickered diabolically as he launched another mushroom. It swerved past the Rangers, heading towards the unsuspecting Whacker Wilson._

_Ignoring the Rangers' cries to run, Whacker dropped his duffel bag, and out comes his baseball bat. The next thing they know, the mushroom is hurtling through the air after being hit by the famous American baseball player._

_The mushroom returns to its owner, smashing onto the monster's head and sprouting a huge, thick and bright orange wig. "Hey! That's only funny when I do it!" the monster yells, before he, and his band of Triptoids, vanish._

"_Where did everybody go?" Ranru inquired, looking around._

"_No clue," Ryouga shrugged, before they turned to Whacker Wilson._

"_Who's the dude in the funny sweat suit?" Emiri giggled, seeing as how the baseball player was clad in really big, really thick and really ugly orange sweats._

_The man removed his hood, and his sunglasses, and Yukito stepped forward, powering down like the other three. "Whacker Wilson! The greedy American baseball player!"_

"_You guys are good fighters," he grinned, grabbing his duffel bag and walking off. "See ya again!"_

"_Wait, what're you doing here?" Ryouga frowned._

"_Oh, my back is killing me!" Whacker declared, turning and stepping towards the four teens as he placed a hand on said back. "I heard the world's best chiropractor lives here."_

"_You're right, he does," Emiri nodded._

"_You mean, you're not here to play baseball?" Yukito questioned, confused._

"_How can I play baseball when I can hardly move?" Whacker Wilson replied. "I __**have**__ to find this chiropractor. His name is Yukito Sanjyou."_

"_Huh?!" Ranru, Ryouga and Emiri gasped, before pointing to the blue-clad teen between them. "That's him!"_

"_Hey!" Whacker Wilson grins happily._

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

Ethan munched away happily on his popcorn, Kaylee and Dustin laughed about some of the parts of the show, and Kira sat there, watching absent-mindedly when a red-clad teen entered Cyberspace and stalked over.

He ignored everyone but the Reefside rocker in his sights, and stood beside the couch arm, looming above her.

"You're back!" she stated brightly.

"Nice try," he spat, not at all noticing how genuine her cheery mood was. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" she took on a more annoyed persona.

"My memory stick, like you didn't know."

"I don't know where it is," she shrugged, gluing her eyes to the screen and reaching for some popcorn from Ethan.

"Yeah! Now c'mon, sit and watch!" Kaylee giggled.

"It's funny!" Dustin agreed.

"Is it really that good?" Conner frowned.

"You'll never know if you don't watch for yourself," Kira pointed out.

"Shh!" Ethan cried with annoyance.

Rolling his eyes, and knowing that the Yellow Ranger could play stupid about stealing his memory stick for a _long time_, he flopped onto the seat beside her, deciding to watch a bit more. And what he saw next onscreen, he almost wished were…true, shall we say?

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_Pass the popcorn!" Emiri whined, glancing at the stone step above where Ryouga and Ranru sat, a bag being passed between them. The Yellow Ranger's head was perched on the Red Ranger's shoulder, as they watched their fourth member in the courtyard below, working his chiropractic magic on Whacker Wilson's back. "Fine! Ignore me!"_

_She crossed her arms and began to pout, before deciding that silence was too boring. She reached back, grabbed the popcorn bag from the two, and grinned. "Hey, I read somewhere that Whack Wilson makes five million a year!"_

"_Really?" Ryouga's eyes widened. "Five million?"_

"_D'you think Yukito's right?" Ranru questioned. "That Whacker only plays for the money?"_

"_I dunno, he seems to really love baseball," Ryouga shrugged._

"_Ha! He fell off the bed!" Emiri giggled, pointing down to the courtyard, where, after Yukito had finished fixing Whacker Wilson's back, the baseball player had rolled off the stone bed. The man got up, yelled at Yukito some, before realizing his back was fixed._

_He then began to dance._

"_Eww gross!" Emiri grimaced, shielding her eyes with the popcorn bag. The three friends continued to watch as Whacker Wilson thanked Yukito, then as Yukito morphed into the Blue Ranger and walked off towards them._

"_I don't get him…why would he do the Power Ranger thing for nothing?" Whacker questioned, grabbing his duffel bad, baseball bat, and walking off._

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"I'm starting to see the moral here," Kira smiled.

"What, that Power Rangers are doofuses?" Conner muttered.

"No, that money isn't everything!" Kira rolled her eyes, whacking him on the arm. "Have you not been playing attention?"

"Again with the violence," Conner chuckled, rubbing his arm but refusing to admit that her hits actually hurt him. He then reached over to take popcorn from Ethan, but the blue-clad boy pulled the bowl away like an angry animal at the zoo. "C'mon, share!"

Upon seeing Ethan would not budge, Conner looked towards Kaylee and Dustin, and spotting his hungry look, Kaylee pulled the bowl tight against her chest. "Don't even think about red-boy!"

Kira chuckled, and pulled a pack of Skittles out of her pocket, offering them to the teen next to her. He smiled gratefully, opening the pack and munching away. Then, as Kaching outsmarted Whacker Wilson and made fun of him, the soccer star rushed forward, blocking the TV with his arms and most of his sweater.

"Okay, it's bad enough that they've made us look like fools, but, to make fun of our sports heroes?" he exclaimed. "Where is your pride? I will _not_ sit here and take this!"

"Don't you think you're overacting just a little?" Dustin chuckled, as his girlfriend began chucking popcorn at Conner's head. "I mean, it's a TV show."

"Yeah, but don't you see what this represents?" Conner retorted. "This is what they think of us in Japan!"

"How can you say that?" Ethan frowned as he and Kira moved from one end of the couch to the other, attempting to see around Conner's outstretched sweater. "It's one episode of one TV show!"

"Yeah!" Kaylee nodded. "And it's not even the whole episode thanks to your big head being in our way!"

"Look, Conner, come sit down," Kira pleaded as she sighed. "Watch the rest, and if still don't like it, you can, write the TV station or something. Or the congress. Or the president. I don't really care; I just wanna see what happens."

He hesitated a moment, his arms dropping ever-so-slightly.

"Again, again!" Kaylee clapped, as if Kira was performing a magic trick.

"Con, I'll even give you your memory stick back if you're nice," Kira grinned mischievously, taking said electronic device from her pocket. He narrowed his eyes at her, before his arms dropped and he sighed, getting up.

Walking back over, he attempted to snatch it away, planning on retreating to the library to do his project, but she was quicker, and stuffed it back away in her pocket. He tapped her knee, making her scoot across the couch so he could sit in the middle again, and flopped down.

"He did that to be the only one beside her," Kaylee whispered to Dustin, who grinned.

"Still meddling?" he asked.

"A little bit," the blonde smiled sheepishly.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_I was right about Whacker," Yukito announced, talking to himself. "He won't change."_

"_Hey, back-cracker!" Whacker Wilson called, running up to them with large bags in his hands. "Look at what I've got! Big bulging bags of bucks! See?"_

"_I told you," Yukito sighed, shaking his head as he walked off. "That doesn't impress me."_

"_But I wanna pay you for fixing my back!" Whacker declared, kneeling down and undoing a bag to get some cash out. "How much do you want?"_

"_No!" Yukito protested. "Please."_

"_How bout…ten thousand dollars?" the baseball player inquired, flashing the money before his eyes as his hood fell off. And then, Yukito's eyes widened when he spotted the aqua blue wig._

"_Where'd you get that?"_

"_Here!" Whacker exclaimed, thrusting money into the Blue Ranger's hands. "In the home run derby, I cheated and now I'm loaded like crazy! I bribed the opposing pitcher and he tossed me big fat marshmallows! I hit the run outta the park and collected the big cash prize."_

"_Keep your money," Yukito snapped, throwing it all back. "You're worse than I thought!"_

"_No, I insist!" Whacker told him, placing more and more stacks of money in Yukito's hands. "Money is the only thing that makes you happy!"_

"_I don't want it!" Yukito yelled, throwing the bag and the cash to the ground and making Whacker Wilson gasp, running towards the money._

"_Oh, my money!" he wailed. "Money! Money!"_

"_Whacker…," Yukito hesitated, backing away. He glanced up to see others around town with wigs harassing all sorts of people for their money. "This is insane! It must be those wigs that are making everybody obsessed with money!"_

_He leant down, trying to snap Whacker Wilson out of the 'money trance' but didn't get far before a large paw tapped him on the shoulder._

"_Excuse me!" Kaching yelled before tossing the Blue Ranger aside. "Time for a change!"_

_The ATM machine built in its chest went off, spewing enlarge penny and dime after penny and dime in Yukito's direction and incasing him in an air-tight dome of them. He struggled to get free, but was unsuccessful._

"_Ha! There's nothing you can to do stop me!" Kaching laughed maniacally. "Soon the whole world will be controlled by greed!"_

"_Back off!" three Rangers shouted as they arrived, taking up an offensive pose._

"_You okay?" the Green Ranger questioned, looking down at Yukito. "Wait; are you in a pile of coins? Cool!"_

"_Yeah, it's all the monster's fault," he grumbled, before morphing and breaking free. Coins were thrown everywhere, catching the light on them and reflecting them in all directions._

"_That's it Rangers, I've had enough of all your screaming and morphing!" Kaching bellowed. "Once and for all I'm going to destroy you!"_

_More enlarged money was hurled their way, but they used the Thundermax Sabers to deflect most of it. Unfortunately, the speed and frequency of the coins picked up, and they were unable to stop the dangerous volley of sparking coins that hit them._

"_Fight with me, Rangers!" Kaching laughed. "And I'll make you rich, rich, rich!"_

"_Can you believe this guy?" Emiri scoffed._

"_Yeah, he thinks he can buy us off!" Ranru rolled her eyes beneath her suit._

"_How much money are we talking here?" Ryouga questioned._

"_What?" Yukito spat, looking at his leader._

"_I mean…uh…," the Red Ranger stammered, his voice nervous._

"_Ryou, you better not even __**consider**__ going to the bad guys!" Ranru snapped. "Because I'm staying here! And, if you go…"_

"_Right!" he nodded, pointing his weapon at Kaching. "Try again, loser!"_

"_You had us worried there," Emiri chuckled._

"_It doesn't hurt to ask…," Ryouga stated, laughing nervously. "Had you going though, didn't I?"_

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"No way!" Kaylee laughed, almost falling off her seat if it weren't for Dustin keeping here there.

"What?" he asked her, frowning.

"It's just like our Red and Yellow!" the blonde giggled, but the sound was stopped by a lovely throw-pillow to the face, directed sincerely by none other than the Yellow Ranger herself.

"Shh!" it seemed that the word was becoming Ethan's favorite.

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"_I've been looking everywhere for you guys!" the Black Ranger called is he rode up on his Raptor Rider, trailing a wheel barrow of things behind him. He slowed to a stop. "Hey, I think I have something that might help! Grab one!"_

"_It's the Black Ranger!" Yukito cried, and he and the others ran over, grabbing things from the wheel barrow. They found it was all things money was kept in, before they lined up in front of the monster, containment units at the ready._

_Ryouga had a large red tomato-shaped piggy bank, Ranru had a treasure chest, Yukito had one shaped like a bunny, Emiri had a cash register and Asuka had a small safe._

"_So you brought some money banks, huh? Let me help you fill them!" the monster yelled, unleashing a powerful spray of coins. They went soaring towards the Rangers, who proceeded in catching them in the money banks until they were full._

_Unfortunately, the next round of coins hit them, and in the explosion of sparks, the Rangers were knocked off their feet. "Ha, you lose!" Kaching cackled._

"_Now what're we gonna do?" Emiri whined as they struggled to their feet._

"_Hey, look at the money Kaching got me!" Whacker Wilson called, running towards them. "Join him and be rich!"_

"_Whacker…," Yukito pondered. "If he really does love baseball more than money, maybe we can save him! Now batting, number one, Whacker Wilson!!"_

"_What?" the baseball player halted, frowning._

"_Let's play ball!" the Blue Ranger yelled, tossing the bunny bank towards Whacker. It soared through the air, and the baseball player reacted on instinct, dropping the bags of money and getting his bat to swing._

_The money bank went flying past the Rangers, and smashed into Kaching, knocking it out cold._

"_Sweet dreams!" Emiri laughed, but the sound died as Kaching got up and rushed at the Rangers, knocking all of them off their feet._

"_The world is mine, no one can stop me!" it bellowed, not caring as the Rangers got up again._

"_I say it time we crash this cash monster!" Ranru declared._

"_Okay, it's on!" Ryouga agreed, and they all summoned their power weapons. "Z-Rex Blaster!"_

_Their formed the blaster, and got into position. Then, together, they fired off a huge four-color blast that ripped right through the monster._

xX-Lost-and-Found-in-Translation-Xx

"Yes!" Conner yelled, pumping his fists into the air.

"Excited much?" Kira laughed, making him realize how he was acting.

"I mean, uh, it was kinda cool," he stated, chuckling nervously like a kid caught red-handed in the cookie jar.

"See?" she smiled, yawning as she leaned back. "We're not so different after all, just a slightly different interpretation."

"Yeah, aren't you glad you stayed?" Kaylee inquired, struggling to keep back her laughter as she saw the Yellow Ranger's head nearly resting on the Red Ranger's shoulder, were it not for Conner sitting forward in his seat.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I guess I am."

"Here," Kira stated absently, passing him his memory stick, before yawning again.

"Well," Ethan declared, standing up as the credits rolled onscreen. "I think it's time to call it a night."

"Actually, I'm gonna stay and, uh, watch another one," Conner told him, and the Blue Ranger's eyes widened. "Or, y'know, find a movie. There are nine hundred and thirty-seven channels!"

"Okay dude, whatever," Ethan chuckled as Kaylee and Dustin stood up as well. "Aren't you coming, Kira?"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged, grabbing the popcorn bowl despite the fact that her eyes were slowly beginning to close and sleep was starting to set in. Damn all those late nights spent on lyrics or projects.

"C'mon Ethe, leave them!" Kaylee told the boy, tugging on his sleeve.

Ethan got the point, and smiled, waving as he followed the Green Ranger and Dustin out, talking about plans to go see Dustin's race the next afternoon…


	17. Moto Madness

**Omg, could it be? A filler chapter? All of my (and partly Lily Hanson's) making and nothing from the episodes (except the tail end of a modified "**_Lost and Found In Translation_**")? Whoa...trippy. :P  
Anywho, enjoy this chapter, and I hope to have the next one up and ready as soon as possible.**

* * *

**_Moto Madness._**

"I'm sure they just forgot to lock up last night or something," Kaylee shrugged as she, Ethan and Hayley opened up Cyberspace that morning, not using the keys because the door swung open then pushed. "Or maybe, they're plotting to take over our jobs, Hayley!"

"Or maybe…," Ethan grinned as they walked in enough to see the shapes of two people on the couch. "They were just enjoying one another's company and didn't watch the time go."

"Aha!" Kaylee exclaimed, jumping around the side of the TV to surprise her friends. Instead, she got a pillow thrown at her face, and a menacing _'shh!'_. "God, what is with the pillows?"

She threw the pillow away to see Conner seated on the couch, in practically the same spot as last night, laptop on his knees as he typed away. He was the one who had shushed her, and when the blonde saw the Yellow Ranger she knew why.

Her head was perched on Conner's shoulder, a hand lightly resting on his arm, and she was snoozing away peacefully. Kaylee was about to squeak and go '_Awww_', but Conner's warning look made her stop. So she said "Aww" without any sound, looking kind of funny.

Ethan looked at the screen, where the same episode of Power Rangers Dino Thunder from the previous evening was playing, and it was at the last scene. "You liked it so much you had to catch the re-run?" he whispered.

"Nope," Conner smirked, turning the computer so they could see what he was working on.

_"J__apanese vs. American culture. Closer than we think_," Hayley read, smiling.

"Yeah, last night, it gave me an idea for my social studies project," Conner stated. "I compared how they see us, to how we see ourselves."

"Uh, without getting too specific, I hope," Ethan warned.

"Please," Conner smirked, closing the laptop. "I admit I was a little bit skeptical at first—"

"A little?" Kaylee laughed.

"—but then I really got into it," he revealed.

"See, Kira told you, their show is different, but still cool," Kaylee smiled.

"There was one thing though…," Conner smirked, and his friends knew something stupid was coming. "Not enough Red Ranger."

"You're jealous Blue Ranger saved the day," Ethan chuckled.

"What?" Kaylee scoffed playfully. "With that Green Ranger, that furry faced freak never stood a chance!"

"Don't forget Yellow…," Kira muttered, yawning as her eyes fluttered open. "Or are your brains too clouded with '_speak loud even with sleeping person_' notes that you forgot?"

"Oh, shit," Conner winced, offering her a sheepish grin. "Sorry Rockstar, kinda did forget."

"Really? With her using you as a comfy pillow and everything?" Kaylee grinned, and this time – _this time!_ – she avoided the pillow. She then scanned the couch and laughed. "Ha! You ran outta pillows!"

"Damn, I guess I did," Kira stated, looking for them, but finding none. A smile tugged at her lips as she stretched. "Okay, as comfy as that was—"

What's this? Conner's complexion matching his red sweater?

"—we gotta get moving, right Kayl?"

"Yep!" the Green Ranger nodded happily. She then gasped and turned to see Hayley, who was setting up the bar stools. "Oh! Wait! Did I remember to ask for today off?"

"Yes, yes, you did," the redhead nodded, smiling.

"Alright!" Kaylee exclaimed, pumping her fists into the air. "Time to get moving!"

"But, what about my project?" Conner questioned as Kira pulled him up by the arm, looking almost as excited as her green counterpart.

"I'll help you finish it later, Jockboy," she grinned, reaching up to ruffle his hair with one hand as they went to follow Ethan, and the happily bouncing Kaylee who waved four paper tickets through the air.

In response to the hair ruffling, his hands went to her sides, tickling her mercilessly and making her squeak slightly as she walked a bit faster to get away. Not that it was working, mind you, because he _was_ the teen with Superspeed.

And, she didn't seem to be trying _that_ hard to get away anyway.

xX-Moto-Madness-Xx

Kaylee led her three friends through a giant and bustling crowd as engines when off in the background. Suddenly, something blonde and blue caught her eye.

"Keep up if you can!" she smiled to the others before running ahead. Kira, Conner and Ethan exchanged glances before shrugging and following. When the green-clad girl got to the person she wanted, she jumped on their back. "Miss me?"

"I always miss the hundred pounds I lose when you go away," the blonde laughed sarcastically as Kaylee got off her back.

Kira was the first to recognize her, because A – she'd seen Tommy's video diary, and B – she'd actually _met_ Tori Hanson a few times when working on a project at the place Kaylee shared with her older sister.

"Of course you do!" Kaylee smiled, pulling something from the backpack she carried around. It squeaked as it squeezed of the bag opening. "But you forgot Ducky!"

"Hello Ducky!" Tori patted the duck before noticing the other three people following Kaylee. Her eyes fell upon the shortest and only female one. "Kira, right?"

"Yeah, nice to see you again, Tori," the dirty blonde responded, shaking her outstretched hand.

"You too," Tori smiled before turning to the guys. "And this is…the rest of the team?"

"Yeah, this is Conner and Ethan! Guys, this is my sister Tori!" Kaylee introduced the three, despite the gaping jaws of the boys. She was about to say something, when Ethan spoke up.

"Wait, did she just say _team_?" he asked, eyeing Kaylee suspiciously.

"Hehe…," the green-clad girl chuckled nervously. "Yeah…about that…"

"That makes two people you told!" Ethan exclaimed, stomping a foot down without realizing it.

"Um, Dr.O said yes?" the blonde smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah?" Ethan challenged, bringing his Dino Gem bracelet up. "Dr. O, you there?"

"_Ethan, you know you shouldn't be using this line unless it's an emergency_," a voice floated through, and it did not sound amused.

"Yeah, it is!" the Blue Ranger nodded. "Kaylee told two people who aren't…_things_…about us being…_things_."

"_Her sister and boyfriend_," Tommy confirmed.

"And you're cool with that?" Conner spoke up, just as confused as Ethan.

"_Yes. It's a long story, and an understanding between myself and Kaylee_," Tommy answered. "_Now, if you'll excuse me, I was having a nap."_

And with that, Ethan's com-link shut down. The four Rangers blinked and Tori stifled laughter.

"Did he just say '_nap_'?" Kira frowned, before they all laughed. Recovering first, Tori looked at her sister.

"Now, sis, Dustin saved you a seat next to all his moto friends that were eliminated in the first round. He said something about you teasing them for—" Kaylee ran off to the V.I.P section before her sister could finish. "…him…"

"I'm guessing we don't get the V.I.P seats, do we?" Ethan asked.

"Nope, Dustin only seems to get seats for Kaylee, but we do have pretty good seats in the stands, and popcorn is free!" Tori smiled, leading the other three off in a different direction.

"Do they all have something for popcorn?" Conner whispered, leaning over so only Kira could hear him as he walked beside her.

"What do you have against popcorn?" she laughed.

xX-Moto-Madness-Xx

"He's got the trophy, because he's _good_!" Kaylee sang as she and Dustin met up with Tori and the Dino Thunder Rangers after the race.

"I'm not that good Kaylee," Dustin laughed. "Just, ya know, pro!"

"I thought you would have lost your racing skills, seeing as you went all freestyle," Tori teased.

"So Kayl, you guys wanna stay the weekend? We could get some rooms and sofas set up at me and Shane's place," Dustin suggested. Kaylee bit her lower lip and looked down.

"We can't…," she shook her head. "We got…Ranger business, you know? And, we're lucky to even be allowed out here in Blue Bay today, even if we're not _that_ far from Reefside."

"You guys haven't finished off the bad guys yet?" he teased as they walked towards his equipment trailer so he could put away his stuff and grab some regular clothes to change into.

"You try taking out something that's supposed to have gone poof like…uh…," Kaylee trailed off, looking to Kira, who normally understood her random thoughts, for help.

"Sixty-five million years ago," Kira laughed, and Kaylee snapped her fingers.

"Yeah!" the Green Ranger nodded emphatically, making her friends and family smile. "I mean, just the other day we battled this evil Ranger dude, and after that, we had to face this mind-controlling dino thingie that got brought back to life!"

"Evil Ranger?" Dustin questioned, placing his helmet on the side of his bike as he went through a bag to look for the clothes he wanted.

"Mind control?" Tori pressed, concerned. Kaylee may have had a year prior to this with the Ninja Storm Rangers, but she was still her little sister, and the only family she had.

"Don't worry you two, we got through it!" Kaylee smiled, despite the anger showing in Conner at the mention of Trent. "Besides, mind control wasn't my problem! It was Kira's!"

"Thanks for reminding me," the Yellow Ranger muttered, rolling her eyes.

"No problem!" Kaylee giggled, grabbing Dustin's helmet and putting it on her own head.

"Doesn't look like it was very fun," Tori pointed out, noticing Conner's tightening fists.

"He doesn't particularly like the Evil White Ranger, don't know why," Kaylee smirked, her voice full of playful sarcasm. "Might have something to do with a Yellow Ranger, but, who knows?"

"Doesn't it stink in there?" Kira asked forcefully, slapping her hand on the helmet and causing a slightly ringing to occur in her friend's head.

"Whoa…," Kaylee's eyes went around a moment, before she shook off the feeling and answered Kira's question. "Yeah, it stinks like Dustin; I love that smell! Just like…," she leaned closer, so only the Yellow Ptera Ranger could hear her. "…Soon you'll love the smell of _T-Rex_. Y'know, if you don't already."

Kira narrowed her eyes dangerously at the girl, a multitude of threats hidden behind the gaze that practically went unnoticed. Kaylee giggled sheepishly, before springing upwards and clapping her hands. "Oh! Can we go do the visiting now?!"

"Well, the Bradley brothers are out of town, for teaching and motocross," Tori explained, a flicker of sadness going across her voice that made her sister smirk. "But, Shane and Cam might make to it the guys' place if we phone them at…work."

"Yes please!" Kaylee nodded happily and they headed towards a light blue van. Ethan tapped on her shoulder. "Huh?"

"Do these other people know about the four of us being…_things_?"

"No," she shook her head. "But if you use the word _thing_ to talk about us _ever_ again, they'll know, and they'll help me cause you pain!"

xX-Moto-Madness-Xx

"This is Cam Watanabe, and Shane Clarke," Kaylee introduced the two. "Old friends of mine."

"Aren't you forgetting me?" a voice asked, and Kaylee jumped for joy when a dark redheaded young woman came in from the computer room of the apartment.

"Leanne! Leanne!" the girl smiled, launching herself at her former mentor with a bear hug "My one and only translator of all Cam-smartness!"

"And don't you forget it," the young woman smiled. "So, how've you been?"

"Good, made awesome new friends!" Kaylee stated, placing herself between Kira and Ethan and wrapping her arms around them. She was too short to reach Conner. "This is Kira, and Ethan, and that's Conner."

"That's good," Leanne nodded, distracting the blonde as Shane crept up behind her, attempting to steal Ducky from her back pocket. "I hear your town's got yourselves a monster problem like Blue Bay used to. Just can't get away from it, can you?"

"Yep, and they're way uglier than the ones here! They're all lumpy and prehistoric and back away Shane before I open a can of butt-whooping in your direction!" Kaylee yelled, turning around to face the young man. He grinned sheepishly, before taking off as the girl chased him around the room.

"Has she always been attached to the duck?" Ethan asked. "Dustin only brought it two days ago but…wow, she's protective of it."

"Has been ever since I bought it for her!" Tori laughed. "She was four!"

"What on earth made you want to buy her a plastic duck?" Conner asked, jumping out of the way in time so he wasn't run over by Shane, then jumping back to avoid Kaylee who had taken a short cut and jumped over the table to catch her foe.

"You'll have to excuse both of them, they don't understand the love of the Ducky," Kira smiled, shaking her head.

"It's alright, friends of ours didn't used to get it at first either," Tori laughed. "And to answer your question Conner, I'm a pro surfer, and when we were little she nearly drowned in the pool. I don't wanna save her butt every time, you do the math."

"Hey, Ethan, can I borrow your laptop?" Kaylee called, and everyone turned to see she'd managed to corner Shane between her, the wall and a bookcase. "He deserves the laptop."

"No way!" Ethan shook his head. "You are _not_ using my precious as a weapon!"

"Let him go, he didn't hurt Ducky," Dustin smiled, slowly pulling his girlfriend away from the slightly frightened young man and back to the rest of the group.

"You're still very deadly!" Cam pointed out, making her smile.

"And that's without all my new toys!" she grinned. Her sister and Dustin understanding this, they took a weary step back. Unsure of why they moved, but sensing it was probably for a good reason, Cam and Leanne stepped back as well.

"I'm seriously wondering why this Mesagog guy isn't dead yet," Tori whispered.

"I think its cause he hasn't stolen Ducky," Dustin thought out loud, remembering just last year when a Kelzack had taken the Duck. "If he ever did…"

"Don't even think that!" Kaylee yelled, having understood what they were talking about and punching her boyfriend, hard, in the arm.

"Maybe we should hide it, and tell you Mesagog sole it," Kira suggested, even if this idea was lost on three people in the room.

"Touch Ducky and you die!" Kaylee said, glaring daggers at Kira. "Even if you are my best friend!"

"I've never lost a staring contest," the Yellow Ranger smiled, mirroring her friend's gaze.

"Yeah, but my love life is open," Kaylee leaned forward to whisper. Kira was momentarily taken aback by this, and blinked in confusion before glaring again.

However, there was no deny it, she _had_ blinked.

"I WIN!" Kaylee shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Did the guys put something in your drink?" Dustin asked, trying to keep her calm.

"Is it illegal?" Kaylee asked him, still jumping. Dustin thought for a minute, then laughed.

"No."

"Then yes! They did!" Kaylee laughed.

"So, about this love life, Kira," Tori smirked, turning to the Reefside Rocker when they were far enough out of earshot of the male population of the apartment.

"It's nothing," Kira said quickly, hoping she wasn't that obvious. "Seriously!"

Thankfully for her, the boys had migrated to the TV, and had chanced across the News channel while trying to find something. Said News channel flickered to life, showing footage of the beach being rampaged by…Tyrannodrones?

"Oh, come _on_!" Kira and Kaylee muttered, glaring at the screen. "Not our town!"

"That's the beach down the street!" Shane exclaimed, knowing it was the one they'd always gone to as Rangers, specifically for Tori's surfing.

"_Does this mean Blue Bar Harbor is back on the monster map? Perhaps," _the News reporter questioned, before the camera panned left to allow a tall, dark-haired brunette onscreen. "_With us here is a young man who was attacked earlier by one of the monsters: Eric McKnight_."

"What the hell!" Conner yelled, jumping to his feet. "My brother? Here? I know he's going to school in Blue Bay, but, what are the odds that he's right down the street!"

"Small-freaking-world," Kira smirked, exchanging a knowing glance with Tori, Dustin and Kaylee, all of whom were attempting not to laugh. Cam, Shane and Leanne, meanwhile, were wide-eyed and their gazes traveled from Conner to the guy onscreen and back again.

"_She was in black leather, but not like, hot leather, this kind of creepy witch-type leather, you know?_" Eric was giving his report on who'd attacked him, and apparently, the reporter had no clue what he meant by '**types of leather**'. "_She was carrying this sword and firing off electric energy and saying something about vacation being over. Apparently she doesn't know what a freaking weekend is_. _And­—oh crap!"_

Onscreen, Elsa had just teleported in through a flash of purple, grabbing onto Eric's shirt and tossing him to the sand nearby. She then turned, and the reporter ran off screaming, moments before the camera shorted thanks to a sword being smashed through it.

The resulting static sound left behind was drowned out by the door slamming as Conner, Ethan, Kira and Kaylee rushed out, followed closely by Dustin, and, after making up an excuse her friends would believe, Tori.

xX-Moto-Madness-Xx

"Rangers!" Elsa cackled with evil laughter as the four teens arrived, Dustin and Tori close behind. "Aww, did I interrupt some family bonding time?"

"Where's my brother?" Conner growled, fists clenching.

"Your brother?" Elsa played stupid, as usual. "Oh, you mean that wasn't _you_ I buried in the sand for having ruined my master's plans yet again? Oops, how horrible of me."

"More like how stupid," Conner scoffed. "You'd be surprised at how at home my brother is in a pile of dirt."

Before Elsa could ask what he meant, a large quantity of sand shot upwards from underneath her, sending her flying through the air. She screamed, before being forced to decide that she was going to eat dirt early on in the fight today.

Watching her fall to the ground a little ways away, Eric McKnight chuckled, shaking his head. "Wow, that was lame," he snickered, sounding just like his brother after winning a soccer match against a really easy team. "I think my crash test dummy lasted longer."

"That's teacher to you," Dustin corrected, bringing laughter from everyone but Conner and Ethan. Ethan was plainly confused, while Conner bore a shocked look.

"Did you just say _teacher_?" he inquired, knowing full well what kind of 'school' his brother was attending in Blue Bay Harbor. "What the hell? You're his Sensei?"

"Um, can we talk about this later?" Kaylee pleaded, wanting the guys to find out as little as possible about what went on here.

"But he—"

"Angry Emo Barbie incoming!" Kira yelled, pushing the Red and Green Rangers out of the way as a large burst of electricity went whizzing past. The other four came over to help them up, and then the Rangers stood side-by-side, Red and Yellow bringing their morphers up.

"Guys!" Kaylee and Ethan called, blatantly pointing fingers towards Eric.

"Same as them!" Conner nodded his head towards her sister and boyfriend.

"Oh!" Kaylee grinned, as she and Ethan followed suit with their morphers, making sure no one was around on the beach to see them.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

And within no time, Elsa was cursing the Power Rangers and teleporting herself and the Tyrannodrones back to Mesogog's lair.

"And stay at the freaky castle of doom!" Kaylee yelled, shaking her fist at the vanishing flash of purple as the Rangers powered down. "You stupid power-stealers!"

"Power stealers?" Eric frowned.

_**ZWOP!**_

The blonde was halfway down the beach, waving at them and looking like a small tree on the horizon.

_**ZWOP!**_

"Teleporting, is _my_ thing," she declared, standing proudly beside Conner's twin.

xX-Moto-Madness-Xx

"I'm glad you guys could stay," Dustin announced as Tori pulled to a stop in front of Cyberspace, in Reefside, later that afternoon. "Even if part of your time was spent fighting monsters that, stalk you?"

"Apparently," Kaylee shrugged. "How'd Emo Barbie and her freak-o-drones find out we were going to Blue Bay anyway?"

"Probably heard from Trent," Conner stated, fists clenching as they clambered out of the vehicle.

"Oh, Conner, come on," Kira rolled her eyes. "Trent isn't working with Mesogog! Besides, how would he have found out we were going for the motocross tournament? You and Ethan only found out this morning!"

"Yes, but basically everyone is smarter than my brother, so who knows," Eric grinned, placing a casual arm around Kira, who glared at it like it was infected.

"Uh, bro, I wouldn't—" but Conner never finished his sentence as he watched his brother fall face-first to the pavement. "I warned you, or, well, tried to."

Eric mumbled something, but it was absorbed by the pavement before he pushed himself to his feet. "What was that, bro?" Conner snickered.

"God, I'm surprised you don't have broken bones yet, dude," Eric smirked, and the meaning of his words took a moment to set in the minds of those around him, before Kaylee burst out laughing.

"Ethe! Ethe! He agrees!" Kaylee hopped up and down, making Kira's glare intensify.

And then? Well, Eric was probably mighty glad his element was earth. You know, ground? Like, the pavement?

"Sucker," Conner shook his head, chuckling, only to come face-to-face with a still unpleased Kira. "What? I didn't do anything! Don't look at me like that!"

Kira laughed, the tough and angry façade falling away. "Psyche," she grinned, high-fiving the Green Ranger.

Kaylee then turned to her sister and boyfriend, a sad smile adorning her features. "I guess this means bye," she sighed.

"Don't you live with your sister?" Ethan chuckled, preferring intruding in this conversation versus the McKnight twin debate over Kira going on in the background.

"Yeah, but right now, they've got, uh, exams," Kaylee stated. "So, she kind of has to be with the students to help them. So, since she gets home real late and leaves really early, I don't get to see her much."

"Oh," was all Ethan could muster, offering her a weak smile.

"Hey, it's okay Kayl, my students are the best there is," Tori grinned proudly. "Their 'exams' should go smoothly."

"Right!" Kaylee nodded happily. "Because they've got the smartest Sensei of them all! And the most responsible! Cept, you know, maybe Cam."

"Hey!" Dustin exclaimed, wrapping an arm around the green-clad girl and poking her sides and making her squirm in his grasp. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Kaylee giggled, making him stick his tongue out at her. She then broke from his hug, launching herself at Tori with another hug.

By the time she finally let both of them go, Eric was clambering into the van to escape his brother, who had begun glaring at him for being so close with Kira. And by the time he remembered an important question he'd wanted to ask Dustin, the latter was already driving off in the blue van with Eric and Tori.

"Crap!" Conner muttered. "I forgot to ask what the hell he had to do with my brother, and the teaching and the earth thing!"

"There's always next time," Kira laughed softly, ruffling his hair as they turned to go into the cyber café. "If you don't suffer memory loss from being hit the head by a soccer ball before then."

He laughed sarcastically, tickling her sides and making her walk a bit faster in and "attempt" to get away from him, while Kaylee and Ethan merely smiled knowingly.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't usually put a disclaimer, because you guys all know I don't own Power Rangers - gee, if I did, I think Kaylee would be REAL! ). Anyway, it's here because this chapter was not created solely by me, and was co-written with Lily Hanson, the "owner" of Kaylee's character. That's all for now, except to say that YOU GUYS ROCK! – yet again, for the awesome reviews. :)**


	18. Copy That

**As soon as possible. Wow, did I really say that about the next chapter in my last author's note? GOD, clearly, I had no idea that following that widdle promise of mine, all the teachers would decide to give me project, test and thing after thing. And now, there's exams. OH! And I got ravaged by plotbunnies of doom.**

**Anywho, I'm proud to say that I have TWO CHAPTERS. This is the first, and as soon as I pry the other one from the crashed computer of the household, I will present the next. R&R because your words are always motivating!!**

* * *

Copy That.

"C'mon, it's not _that_ good," Kira laughed, her cheeks turning slight pink as she tried to pull the notepad away from him.

"Seriously, it is!" Conner nodded, refusing to give it back as he read the lyrics scribbled across the page. "I think you should play it here on Friday."

"What? No way!" she shook her head, crossing her arms in frustration as she could not get her lyric notepad back from the teen across the table from her. "It's just part of the song, anyway. And besides, it's really not me, right? I mean, it's so—"

Suddenly, a tray went skidding across the ground, stopping by their feet, and the two teens looked down to see Ethan splayed out before them, his hands reaching across the ground towards a tray of drinks he _clearly_ did not save.

"Clean up on aisle five," Conner chuckled.

"Yeah, since when do you work here?" Kira added, holding back a laugh as she watched the Blue Ranger get to his knees and start picking up the thankfully plastic glasses.

"Since me and Hayl are having trouble with the big crowd, and are a bit short-handed," Kaylee replied, walking past, a grin on her face. "Only…I think we were better without him."

"Oh, thanks," Ethan muttered, putting all the glasses back on the tray. "This would've never happened if Trent hadn't quit."

"Yeah, I guess kicking out butts is enough of a job to keep him busy these days," Conner scoffed.

"Unfortunately, I think that's true," Kaylee sighed.

"Hate to say this," Kira began, absent-mindedly pushing her straw around in her glass and staring at it. "But even _I_ think you were right Con. Maybe there is no good left in Trent…"

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"I need more competition," Trent snarled, having defeated a swarm of Tyrannodrones. He looked up at his father as he neared. "This is too easy; I wipe the floor with them every time."

"Yeah, I see that," Anton nodded, spotting the drones lying around his lawn, scattered. His son sat at a patio table, putting his feet up on it and staring at his Dino Gem. "Look, son…this change that's happened in you. I don't like it."

"The White Dino Gem's making me stronger every day. Soon no-one's going to be able to stop me, Dad," Trent grinned evilly. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"No, it's not what I wanted, that's what Mesogog wants," his father sighed. Seeing his son frown, Anton leaned forward, looking upset. "Look, we share the same mind, but…I hate what he's done to you."

"But you are Mesogog."

"Not by choice," Mercer replied, standing up and beginning to pace. "You know, my research on dinosaur DNA was bold. It was ground-breaking. I was sure I was on the verge of a whole new technology. One that would serve the betterment of mankind…but it was experimental. It was too risky to try on anyone but myself. I had no idea the effects would be so monstrous."

"But our plan to bring back the era of the dinosaurs…," Trent protested. "It's all in our reach!"

"It's not _my_ plan," Anton sighed. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. This creature…Mesogog…has poisoned my mind. I never wanted this for you. Do you understand that?"

"Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?" Trent snapped, getting up and walking away.

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"Alright, creep!" Conner yelled as he and the other Rangers arrived in a parking level of the town centre, running up to Copyotter. "We're taking you down!"

"Oh yeah, says who?" the monster cackled.

"The Power Rangers, that's who!" Kaylee exclaimed, nearly bursting into laughs as she spotted the monster. "Okay, what _is_ that thing?"

"It looks like some freaky, machine…otter…pepper…thing," Kira stated, scrunching up her nose.

"Name's Copyotter! And here's a pepper for you!" it shouted, launching a huge version of the green vegetable at the Ranger of the same color. Kira instinctively summoned her Thundermax Saber, swinging at the enemy projectile and sending it right back like a baseball.

It hit the monster and exploded, causing her fellow Rangers to applaud slightly.

"Sorry, I'm not supposed to have too many spicy foods," Kira stated. "Thanks anyway."

"Then how about some seafood!" Copyotter yelled, producing a shell.

"Uh, I'm a vegetar—"

"This is what I call shell-shock!" it shouted over her, launching the shell, and many others, at the Rangers. Wielding their Thundermax Sabers, they knocked them all away. "You'll pay for that."

"Tricera Shield!" Ethan called, summoning his Power Weapon to hand.

"That's exactly what I was looking for!" the monster cackled, the machine in it's center glowing bright purple. "Now here's my secret power! Copy!"

"Not so secret anymore," Kaylee commented, and she and the others watched in shock as a copy of Ethan's Tricera Shield wound up in the monster's hands.

"Tricera Shield!" Copyotter grinned.

"No way!" Ethan shook his head in disbelief, before a blast of blue energy hit him the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Kaylee, who was nearest, crouched beside him.

"You okay?" she inquired.

"I think so…," he nodded a bit. "But…damn…now I know how the T-drones feel when I kick their butts with the Shield."

"Now it's on," Conner stated as he and Kira stepped up, pulling out their Power Weapons.

"Tyranno Staff!"

"Ptera Grips!"

"Copy!" the monster yelled again, and red and yellow weapons wound up in his fuzzy paws.

"He copied our weapons!" Conner stated.

"Thanks Mr. Obvious," Kira rolled her eyes.

"That's cheating!" Kaylee called as the monster ran at her two friends, attacking them with their own weapons. Soon they too were on the ground. The Green Ranger stood, despite the cries of protest from her friends, and tried to attack the monster with her Spino Whip, only to have a copy of it snap on her butt before she landed on the ground. "Ouch! That thing _hurts_!"

"He's got our weapons, what else does he want?" Kira sighed.

"Copy!" the monster yelled, and when next it spoke, it sounded like Kira talking. "Hi! I'm the Yellow Ranger! Aren't I cute?"

"My voice!" Kira gasped, while the others burst out laughing. "Hey!"

She smacked Conner on the arm, and he straightened up, apologizing. He then stood up, pulling her with him. "That's enough!"

"I agree," the monster said mockingly. "I have more important things to copy."

And with that, the monster ran off. Kaylee and Ethan got to their feet, sighing.

"How are we going to beat this guy?" Ethan inquired.

"Well, we'd have to start by finding him first, goof," Kaylee giggled, and together, the Rangers took off in the direction Copyotter had gone in.

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"One of Zeltrax's freaks," the White Ranger mused, beating up Copyotter before jumping away onto some nearby steps. "Maybe you'll be a challenge."

"Ah! Just the Ranger I was looking for!" the monster grins, the machine at it's core glowing bright purple as Trent's grip tightened on his Drago Sword. "Copy!"

Soon, a replica of the Sword was in Copyotter's grasp. "Sweet!"

"Hey!" Trent yelled.

"I'll be taking this," the monster chuckled. "Bye-bye!"

And with that, it was gone in a flash of purple. Trent jumped down from his perch to where the monster had been standing, a frown etched across the features under the mask.

"What was that about?" he pondered aloud.

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"My laboratory…," Mesogog hissed, regarding the trashed area in anger. He picked up a split bottle as Zeltrax watched him. "What has happened here, Zeltrax? Months of experiments, ruined! Who has done this?"

"I don't know, master, it's horrible!" Zeltrax nodded, before something caught his eye (not that he didn't know it was there) and he bent down to pick up the White Ranger's Drago Sword from amidst the rubble. "The White Ranger's weapon. It couldn't have been…"

"I knew he couldn't he trusted," Mesogog stated in anger.

"But, my lord, why would he betray you?"

"Because he wants all the power for himself…"

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"The signal's coming from right around here!" Ethan stated as he and the other rangers dismounted their Raptor Cycles near some woods. Kaylee bit her lip, looking around.

"Isn't this the forest with…y'know…," she hesitated, and Kira turned to her, seeing her fidget.

"The sinkholes?" the Yellow Ranger grinned, laughing as the Green Ranger jumped, latching onto her arm as they walked around. "Nope."

Kaylee let go, glaring at the Yellow Ranger through her mask. "Not funny."

"Where is he?" Conner frowned, scanning the forest.

"Looking for me?" Copyotter inquired, and they turned to see the creature standing there. "I was picking peppers!"

A series of pepper projectiles were then launched at the Rangers, exploding one after another and sending the four teens to the ground. Kaylee glared at the monster, muttering under her breath.

"Why couldn't this guy be like Peter Piper and go pick his pickled peppers someplace else?" she groaned, pushing herself to her feet alongside the others.

"Careful!" Ethan warned. "Remember, he can copy our weapons!"

"Then how do we fight him?" Kira frowned, and the Red Ranger beside her clapped his hands together, indicating he'd thought of a plan. "Well, if that isn't proof miracles can happen."

He glared at her a moment, but even with the helmets on they knew her words were playful and teasing. So he smiled and went on. "We close the head of the Z-Rex Blaster, he copies it, then fires it, and then it explodes!"

"Sneaky," Ethan grinned. "I like it."

"Uh-huh, and saying all that out loud was a good plan, how?" Kaylee inquired, but her statement was lost as they summoned their weapons. "I mean, hello, he's right there!"

"Are you done with your meeting over there?" the Copyotter growled, and Kaylee rolled her eyes, summoning her Spino Whip and putting it together with the others to form their blaster.

Conner then leaned forward, closing the tip and pointing it at Copyotter. The monster yelled out 'Copy!' and after it's machine core glowed purple, the same weapon wound up in its arms.

"That's it…," Conner whispered.

"Wait! I almost forgot!"

Crap, it wasn't as stupid as they'd thought, as it opened the head of the copied Z-Rex Blaster, before firing at the fearful Rangers. They were knocked back hard, and sent flying through the air and into the nearby lake.

Close by, on the hill, Trent stood by the edge of the lake, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "So I guess I get to fight the winner."

Suddenly, a purple light appeared behind him and a claw struck out, latching onto his shoulder. He frowned, before being spun around and pulled through the invisiportal. Meanwhile, the Rangers stood up in the lake, and Copyotter readied the Z-Rex Blaster for another round.

"Alright, I can blast you again!" the monster yelled.

"I don't think so!" the Black Ranger cried, running up to the fight with his Brachio Staff in hand.

"Another one?" Copyotter frowned.

"Brachio Staff! Blade Strike!" Tommy yelled, smashing the tip of his weapon into the ground and sending a shockwave of energy forward the knocks Copyotter away. Removing his weapon, he ran to the others.

"You know, for a smart scientist guy, that wasn't really bright," Kaylee stated, and before he could ask what she meant, he turned, seeing that the monster was getting up, with a copy of the Brachio Staff in hand.

"How the heck did it—?" but Tommy was cut off when his own attack was mirrored. He and the other Rangers were sent flying into the water again.

"You better be glad my sis is a surfer!" Kaylee yelled in frustration.

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"Traitor!" Mesogog hissed loudly, leaning over Trent as he woke, strapped to a chair. "You'll regret double-crossing me!"

"Traitor?" Trent frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You cannot be trusted," he stated simply, lowering a laser-needle closer to the unmorphed White Ranger, who paled in fear. "And there, you must be eliminated.

"No!" he shouted, shaking his head. "You're making a mistake!"

"Good-bye, White Ranger," he hissed in delight, turning the laser on from a laptop. White light then began being sucked out of the Ranger's body as he twisted frantically.

"Dad, don't!" he yelled. "It's me! Trent! I'm your son!"

Mesogog ignored him, turning away.

"Dad…don't…please…," he pleaded, his voice horse.

The dinosauric man hissed in frustration as his claws began to pulse bright orange, and before he knew it, he fell over, flashes of purple and orange light flooding his body. Soon, the lights faded, and Anton Mercer stood up shakily, running over to Trent.

"Trent!" he yelled, jerking the laser away seconds before it went off, blasting into a computer console. It reflected off of this, and bounced around the lab eventually coming to hit Trent's Dino Gem. "Trent!"

The White Ranger groaned, his eyes fluttering open slowly. "Are you alright?" Anton asked, undoing the straps holding his son to the chair.

"I'm…fine," Trent nodded. "I feel like my old self again."

"The explosion," Anton stated in awe, staring down at the bracelet on his son's wrist. "The explosion must have shattered…the evil encoding of the White Dino Gem."

"So…does that mean there's no more White Ranger?" Trent asked hopefully.

"As far as I can tell…," Anton began, examining the gem. "The power is still active."

"Great," Trent said hesitantly. "What do I do with it now?"

"You can use it. You can use it however you choose."

Suddenly, Anton shoots the ground on his knees, hissing in pain. Trent jumped off the chair, placing a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"You have to get out of here," he stated, wincing.

"No, I can help!"

"No! I'll find a way to stop this. Until I do, it's time for you to go and use your powers for something good. Go and help the other Rangers."

"The other Rangers?" he shook his head. "That's crazy! I can't fight against you!"

"I know you, son, I know you'll do what you have to do," his father told him.

"I won't tell them your secret, Dad," Trent promised, backing up. "I promise."

"Go!" Anton yelled, and Trent ran off, moments before his father's eyes began to glow red.

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"How's the dirt taste?" Copyotter taunted as the Rangers were thrown back onto the ground. Suddenly, a loud noise found their ears. "Huh?"

A white light blasted the monster aside, and Trent appeared, morphed, flying through the air on his White Dino ATV. He landed on the other side of the creature, getting off his ATV.

"You look like you could use some help," he stated as the Rangers pushed themselves to their feet. He pulled out his Drago Sword, and sped forward, attacking Copyotter. Finally, he leapt through the air, attempting to strike the creature head-on.

Unfortunately, all he was met with was his own attack as Copyotter came crashing into him, running at super speed and striking him several times with a copy of his own weapon. The others watched in confusion.

"Whose side is he on now?" Ethan frowned.

"Who cares, least the copycat is kicking someone else's butt," Kaylee stated, rubbing her behind. "Mine's getting kinda sore. In fact, I'm not even sure if it's attached anymore. Is it?"

"Should I really answer that?" Ethan inquired, and the Green Ranger shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

"Is that all you got?" Copyotter taunted, stepping closer to the downed White Ranger.

"Actually…no," he began, getting up. "Super Dino Mode!"

"Aw, c'mon, no fair!" Kaylee whined as they watched. "He's got Super Dino Mode too!"

"And I like it!" Trent grinned, ducking as a laser blast thrown by Copyotter explodes around him, but he is unaffected.

"Bye, now," the monster chuckled, only to gasp when Trent came flying out of the smoke towards him.

"We're not done yet!" Trent yelled, slamming into him and driving him backwards, where he smashed him into a tree.

"But I thought we were on the same side!" Copyotter whined.

"Not anymore," Trent stated, blasting the monster with blue lightning that caused it to explode as he walked away.

"…Trent?" Kira asked weakly, before mentally cursing herself for sounding so frail.

Apparently this translated well into a soft cry for help, as a Red Ranger stood protectively in front of her, glaring at the White Ranger through his helmet.

"This another trick?" he questioned, anger and hatred bubbling beneath the surface.

Any responses were cut off by the sound of black and purple rain pelting down onto the remains of the Copyotter. The Rangers groaned, glancing over to see the monster grow and grow until it reached building size.

"Aw, crud," the Red Ranger muttered, wanting to finish this conversation now rather than later.

He didn't seem to have a choice, however, as the Brachio lumbered into view, depositing their Zords nearby. Conner, Kira, Kaylee and Ethan look one last confused and suspicious glance at Trent, before jumping away and into their Zords, forming the Thundersaurus Megazord.

"I know you can take this guy!" Tommy encouraged them from before, before being knocked to the ground from Zeltrax, who had teleported in silently, ready to attack. Tommy rolled, landing on his back, and glared up at Mesogog's robotic henchman. "You again."

"I've been watching for this moment for a long time," Zeltrax growled, his fingers twitching on the hilt of his sword in anticipation. He raised the weapon, but before it can make contact with the Black Ranger, the White Ranger's Drago Sword comes into view, blocking the hit.

"Get back, Zeltrax!" Trent ordered.

"You!" he cried angrily, before being kicked backwards to the ground.

"What's going on?" Tommy inquired, watching silently as Trent and Zeltrax battled it out, until Trent ducked behind a tree when Zeltrax fired purple lightning in his direction. "Okay, now I'm really confused."

Before he knew it, Zeltrax was in front of him, knocking him back with a powerful slash of his sword, and landed at Dr.O's feet. So Tommy went with the flow of things, and attacked Zeltrax, only to be beaten backwards and thrown to the ground.

At least his moves left Trent enough time to recover, and the White Ranger got up, attacking Zeltrax again. Mid-way through their fight, he noticed Dr.O in the back, and kicked Zeltrax towards him, allowing the Black Ranger to smash his enemy into the ground.

"You will pay dearly for that, traitor!" Zeltrax roared, looking up at the two Rangers as they stood together, before warping away in a flash of purple.

"You okay?" Trent asked, turning towards the Black Ranger.

"What do you want?"

"Power down," Trent announced, doing just that before starting towards his science teacher.

"Whoa, stop right there!"

"Dr. Oliver, you gotta listen to me…"

xX-Copy-That-Xx

"Why do we have to come by here?!" Kaylee whined, gripping Kira's arm until her knuckles turned white. She continued to glance left and right at the tunnel around them, until they finally reached the entrance to the lab.

"It's alright, we're here," Kira stated, a tad soothingly, as Ethan pulled on the dinosaur jaw to open the large doorway.

"Anyone know why Dr. Oliver wanted us to meet him here?" he asked, as the door lifted up.

"He said something about a big surprise," Conner shrugged, before the door lifted up completely to reveal Trent. The Red Ranger's eyes widened, then narrowed as his fists clenched.

"Hey, guys," Trent greeted.

"T-Trent…w-what...what are you doing here?" Kira stammered, and for the second time today, she cursed herself for sounding so weak and frail.

But yet again, Conner heard the distress in her voice, and moved to stand in front of her. "How did you get in here?" he growled.

"I let him in," Dr. O revealed, spinning in his computer chair to face him.

"What?" Conner spat, as he got up to join them on that side of the room. "But he's—"

"On our side now," Tommy finished.

"Yeah, right, if I had a quarter for how many times we've heard that…," Kaylee rolled her eyes mockingly, before realizing Conner and Ethan did not know about the Thunders. "…I'd only have one quarter!"

"And every time we hear that, he burns us," Ethan pointed out, being careful to use '_us_' rather than Kira, because it always seemed to be her getting hurt.

"Why should we believe him now?" Conner questioned, noticing from the corner of his eyes that Kira seemed to hesitate. She seemed to be debating whether she should try to talk to him, or just give up and watch how things passed. "What reason has he given us?"

"He saved my life," Tommy stated.

"Is that…is that true?" Kira inquired, taking a step forward despite Conner's arm coming out to stop her. She glanced up, her hazel eyes containing enough pleading to make him back down.

"Yeah," Trent nodded, a slight smile coming to his lips at seeing her finally respond. "I'm in control of the Dino Gem now. I wanna use it to fight with you."

"I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't think he was telling the truth," Tommy stated. "But only you can decide whether or not you trust him."

"Well, if Dr.O's down with it, then I guess I'm onboard," Ethan nodded.

"I'd rather not lose feeling in my butt from all the kicking, so, I guess you're cool again," Kaylee shrugged. "For now…"

Trent turned towards Kira, who had stepped past Conner, showing that she was really ready to talk to him, and no longer hid behind her apparent protector. "Look, I know I got a lot to make up for," he sighed, staring into her hazel eyes with his dark brown ones. "But I _promise_, this time I won't let you down."

"I guess…I guess everyone deserves one last chance," she acknowledged, a ghost of smile painting itself across her lips. Knowing that only their leader remained, Kira nudged the taller boy with an elbow, looking up at him with bright, expectant hazel orbs.

And naturally, he looked down, and found his will momentarily lost in them. Heh, his fault.

"Yeah, whatever," Conner coughed, looking away.

"Hey!" Kaylee clapped her hands suddenly, deciding to get revenge on Trent for having hurt her best friend before, right here, right now, in her own little way. "Isn't there a rule that says newbie Rangers have to wash all the Zords?"

The others blinked repeatedly, staring at her a moment, before Ethan caught on, grinning.

"Hey, I forgot about that rule," the Blue Ranger snickered.

"The Zords?" Trent frowned, a complaint skidding across his voice. "But they're gigantic!"

_**ZWOP!**_

They stared at the green puff of light left in her wake.

_**ZWOP!**_

A bucket, a brush, and tons of cleaning supplies landed in Trent's arms. Kaylee grinned widely, whilst a large frown of confusion and disappointment at not being able to further his conversation with Kira crossed his face.

Damn, exacting revenge was _never_ this funny!

"Alright…," he sighed, looking around. "But…where are the—"

"I'll show you," Conner offered spontaneously, stalking off towards the tunnel door before any of the others could protest. Trent glanced at Kira, who shrugged, before following.

After a few twists and turns in the nearby tunnel, he found Conner standing by a big stone door.

"Oh, hey, thanks," Trent smiled, heading towards the door, but stopping when an arm covered in red fabric smashed across his path, hand grabbing dirt and rock on the wall to his left in order to stay 'rooted' there. "Uh…"

"So, we're alone. You gonna attack me now, or what?" Conner asked simply, staring at the White Ranger through a sheet of brown bangs that needed to be cut. "Eliminate the enemy's team leader or whatever."

"Conner, look, I'm not like that," Trent shook his head. "Not anymore. I swear it."

"Yeah, well," Conner coughed, drawing his arm away from the wall and straightening up. "You better hope for your sake you're telling me the truth. Because if you hurt her again - if you so much as make one single, itty bitty tear even _form_ in her eyes, I'll track you down, and when I'm down with you, there won't be anything for the likes of Mesogog to experiment on, or for your dad to pay to be cremated. Got it?"

Trent gulped, mouth gaping open, and nodded slowly. Conner smirked, his usual allure and soccer star pep returning to him as he walked off down the tunnel, leaving the White Ranger to watch him go.

_If you hurt her again…_


	19. Triassic Triumph

* * *

**Hurray, update (finally)!! Lily's with me today, so you can thank her for kicking my ass into gear to FINISH this chapter and upload it. And now, I'm starting the next one, a completely, 100 original filler chapter that's totally Kaylee-centric! (cheers).**

**Okay, so enjoy, leave me your thoughts, and I'll try and update ASAP with Kaylee's chapter.**

* * *

**_Triassic Triumph._**

"Someone looks pretty happy today," Ethan commented as he, Conner and Kira walked into Cyberspace, taking up residence at the barstools. Hayley turned to them, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Oh, hey," she smiled, washing the inside of a glass as she glanced across the place to where Trent and Kaylee were waiting tables. "It's just so good to have Trent back."

"Yeah, much better than Sir-Spills-A-Lot," Kaylee giggled, coming to the bar and ordering two banana smoothies. Ethan stuck his tongue out at her, and she made a move to spill the drinks on him, making him flinch and cover his head frantically. "Heh, afraid of spills. Ironic."

With that, she walked off, humming happily to herself as she found the customers who ordered the Yellow Ranger-colored smoothies. The others watched her as she chatted away with a friend from school, Trent taking her empty tray as he went by, and using it to pick up empty glasses from another table.

"Yeah…with the new attitude adjustment he's almost likeable," Conner grumbled, turning back to the bar. Kira elbowed him, narrowing her eyes.

"I heard that," Trent announced, walking up and handing the empty glasses to Hayley. "Two more Cyber-berry Blasts, please."

"Coming right up," she smiled, heading to make them.

"So, how's it going?" Kira asked, looking up at Trent with bright eyes.

"Fantastic, I feel like a new man," he grinned.

"We're just glad the old man is back," Ethan exclaimed.

"Old?" Trent quirked an eyebrow, chuckling.

"Yep, you got old, sorry to suddenly break it to you," Kaylee sighed, walking up with the empty smoothie glasses. The others stared at the glasses in awe, knowing she'd left with them not long ago. "What, these? Yeah, regular camels those ones."

"Anyway," Kira chuckled, looking back to Trent. "You're one of us now. No more secrets."

"Or jackass moves…," Conner whispered, earning himself another elbow in the ribs courtesy of Kira, who pretended to have done nothing of the sort, offering Trent an innocent smile.

"You're right," Trent nodded, smiling. Hayley arrived with the drinks moments later, and he thanked her, walking off with them. In his mind, he replayed the promise he made to his father about keeping his _secret_ from the Rangers…

The Rangers then moved to a table to do some homework, and spent a few hours there before Conner became distracted (what a surprise). His mind wandered at first, as did his eyes, and were content to watch a Reefside rocker scribble down lyrics.

"You're drooling," Kaylee whispered, leaning over his shoulder to pick up empty glasses from her three friends. He snapped out of his reverie and glared up at her. "What? It's my job as a little sister to state the obvious and annoy."

"Yeah, but you're not my little sister," Conner retorted as she straightened the glasses on her tray. She giggled at this.

"No, but I'm practically hers," she grinned, pointing at the dirty-blonde musician as she looked up from her lyrics. "She's like my Tori stand-in. Only cooler."

"Thanks," Kira stated. "I think…"

Conner's attention was then drawn across the room to a boy with messy light brown hair and hazel eyes holding a soccer ball, who stood up from his table and slung a backpack over his shoulders. He was surrounded by admiring girls, and this made the jock frown.

"What's his deal?" Conner inquired. His friends looked over as well, finding the guy in his line of sight as he left the crowd of girls, walking their way. Cassidy intercepted him however, holding a microphone with Devin and his trusty camera behind her.

"Alexi Poporof. Exchange student, soccer genius," she grinned. "So, what do you think of the soccer team here at Reefside?"

Alexi looked at her, then at the camera, hesitating.

Not that Cassidy gave him time to put a word in.

"And do you think we have a shot at the Superbowl?"

"Um, Cass, they don't have a Superbowl," Devin reminded her kindly, placing a hand on her arm. "It's called a World Cup."

"Cup, bowl, whatever!" she groaned, turning back to Alexi. "So, what do you think?"

"No, sorry, can't speak now," he shook his head before walking towards the door. The blonde's mouth was still open as she turned to look at Devin in shock.

"Okay, what's with that?" Conner asked, watching Alexi leave. "She's never cared about soccer before. At least, she's never wanted to interview me."

"Someone's looking a little more green than red," Kira teased, nudging his arm.

"Green?" Kaylee gasped, looking up at the Red Ranger. "My color! Mine! Stay away!"

"I'm not jealous," Conner stated, looking down at Kira and attempting to ignore the blonde's outburst beside them. "It's just…if he's that good, he should be on our club team."

"Which of course means what to a sports-challenged?" she chuckled, making him roll his eyes.

"I'm going to go see if he's joined up with anyone," he declared instead, walking off and heading outside of Cyberspace.

"Jealous," Kaylee giggled.

"So jealous," Ethan nodded in agreement.

"Ten bucks says he puts his foot in his mouth," Kira challenged, and a ten dollar bill landed in her hands courtesy of Trent, who was standing there, smiling.

"Conner plays it smooth and the new guy joins," he retorted.

"Alright," Kira grinned. "You're on."

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"Hey!" Conner grinned as he found Alexi outside, standing by his bike. "Alexi, right? I'm Conner McKnight. Heard you're a pretty good soccer player. I was just wondering if you were thinking about—"

Alexi seemed to completely ignore him as he rolled his bike onwards, moving away. "Sorry," he said suddenly. "I must go."

"Okay…," Conner frowned, watching as he mounted his bike and cycled off. "Whatever, dude."

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"So, don't you think it was rude?" Conner asked as he, Kira, Kaylee and Ethan walked through a part of the city, the Green Ranger finally of today's shift. "I mean, he doesn't even think about it. He just walks away?"

"I'm sure he's got a good reason," Kira shrugged.

"Yeah, especially if you did that thing where you stick your foot in your mouth when trying to ask a simple question…like, y'know, asking to partner up, or, asking someone out, or…uh…," Kaylee giggled, and it took a moment to catch her double meaning, which is more than enough to let her duck the slap aimed at the back of her head.

"Look, I'd love to stay and hash this out with you guys, but if I don't get to the library soon," Ethan groaned, looking at his friends. "Then I'm totally going to fail this project."

"Then prepare to fail, Blue Ranger," Zeltrax stated, warping in before the group.

"Told you ya should've gone straight there," Kaylee teased, and the Blue Ranger rolled his eyes before Zeltrax clicked his fingers. In a flash of white, a White Terrorsaurus appeared, proceeding in attacking the Rangers with super-speed.

"Conner! It's stealing you powers! Sick 'em!" Kaylee exclaimed, her face nearly smooshed against the pavement – something she did _not_ enjoy.

"Sick 'em?" he frowned, looking over at her. "What do I look like, a dog?"

"Well, you _do_ need a haircut," Kira teased, ruffling his chestnut-colored hair.

"Good work," Zeltrax congratulated the White Terrorsaurus came to a stop beside him. In another flash of white, a White Ranger appeared beside them.

"And he didn't even break a sweat," he chuckled, his voice deep and distorted. The heads of four Rangers snapped up to stare at him incredulously.

"T-Trent?" Kira whispered, glad that they were on the ground at this point because her knees had just turned into mush. "But…you…"

"What the hell are you doing?" Conner snapped as he quickly pushed himself to his feet, the others getting up behind him.

"Doing what should have been done long ago; destroying you four pathetic excuses for Rangers," the White Ranger cackled, his arms crossed.

"P-pathetic?" Kira whimpered, a hurt look crossing her features. Her friends noticed this, and while Kaylee shook her head in disdain while Conner took a step forward, fists clenched.

"What about our little talk, huh?" Conner inquired, glaring at the White Ranger before glancing over his shoulder and noticing Kira's sad looked. "Alright, that's it. I'm tired of this shit. I'm getting this over with once and for all, and you're out. Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

He morphed, and summoned his Thundermax Saber and leaping forward, locking himself in a fight with the White Ranger. As the Terrorsaurus jumped up to a higher ledge of a nearby building, Zeltrax drew his sword and shield, pointing it at the unmorphed Rangers.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

Who weren't morphed anymore. And who were drawing their lasers to fire.

"Fire!" Kira yelled, her attitude set into battle-mode instead of mope-mode for the time.

Using his shield, Zeltrax blocked the shots, pulling out momentarily to blast Kira with a ray of bright purple electricity. It sent her tumbling backwards, and Ethan and Kaylee ran to her, standing in front of her, their blasters drawn.

It took only a few shots before Zeltrax leapt forward, slashing away with his sword and catching both of them off guard, flooring them. Kira stood, her Thundermax Saber drawn instead, but she too was knocked away.

"Touchy," she hissed, rolling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Conner and the White Ranger battled it out. The colorless Ranger managed to grab Conner under the arms and tossed him over his shoulders during a weak moment, and the Red Ranger crashed to the pavement.

Bringing out his Drago Sword, the White Ranger created arrows that blew Conner into the air with an explosion, sending him hurtling towards his fellow Rangers, where he landed and crushed the newly-rising Rangers.

"Now you're mine," Zeltrax growled, seeing their blasters too far out of their reach.

"That's it," Kira muttered, looking upwards. "I'm tired of this!"

And with that, she aimed the next sound out of her mouth at Zeltrax, who ran towards them. Her Ptera Scream ripped through the airwaves, crashing into Zeltrax and battering him with a multitude of sonic waves.

He stumbled at first, and struggled before being completely blown away, flying through the air and hitting a post a ways back, cracking it in two and collapsing. In his place came the White Ranger and the Terrorsaurus, as the Rangers stood.

"So you stopped Zeltrax, try to stop my Terrorsaurus," the White Ranger cackled, and his creation began walking towards them.

"Let me show you the extent of my powers," it roared. "You will be defeated!"

"Not on my watch!" Trent yelled, coming in front over a ledge, shooting white lasers at the Terrorsaurus from his White Dino ATV. Both enemies and even the rising Zeltrax were knocked away, landing in a heap as Trent pulled a stop before his fellow Rangers.

"Hey guys, thought I'd join the fun," he announced.

"What, who's who?" Ethan frowned, seeing as they were now seeing double.

"Guys, it's me," Trent answered, jumping off his ATV.

"Enjoy your reunion while you can," the White Ranger behind them snapped, getting up alongside Zeltrax and the Terrorsaurus. "Nothing you do can stop us now!"

And with that, Zeltrax, Terrorsaurus and the White Ranger warped off in a flurry of purple and white lights.

"Power down," Conner stated, and the Rangers did like him, demorphing.

"You guys okay?" Trent asked, turning to them.

"Great," Ethan said a tad sarcastically.

"Hey, Trent, you got a twin or a brother or whatever you never told us about?" Kaylee inquired, and when he frowned, she pointed out the obvious. "Uh, we were seeing double the trouble in white spandex?"

"Oh…," he breathes, before shrugging and looking away.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

Back at the Dino Lab, Trent sat to the side of the room, while Conner and Ethan leaned against the computers, on either side of the ever-morphed Dr. O, who typed away. Kaylee sat, cross-legged, in the middle of the room, on the floor, while Kira paced around her.

"Okay, so we barely get one White Ranger under control, and then another one shows up?" Kira muttered, looking to Kaylee. "How does that work?"

"Evil twin," the Green Ranger shrugged, making the Yellow Ranger roll her eyes and look to Trent.

"Any idea who it could be?"

"I have no clue," he shrugged as well, at a loss.

"My sensors show some kind of cloned energy force," Tommy stated, spinning around in his chair to face them. "It's probably not even a living being at all."

"Ewwwww, so what IS it?" Kaylee grimaces, disgusted.

"Not sure," Dr. O replied, returning to his computer.

"He may not be alive, but his kick sure felt real," Ethan muttered.

"I never said he wasn't real," Tommy pointed out. "He's a threat, all right."

"Well, now that the weird non-real-but-actually-real White Ranger thing is settled, what's with the creepy Terrorsaurus?" Kaylee frowned. "He was weird! I mean, his name…Terror!"

"He's giving off some of the same readings as the other White Ranger," Tommy replied. "It's almost like they were one and the same."

Silent until now, Conner got up from his position and stalked over to Trent, fists clenching and anger painted on his features. "I knew it," he spat. "You should never have been here in the first place!"

"Con," Kira said soothingly, grabbing the Red Ranger's arm before he went too far. She pulled him back a bit from Trent, a discontent look on her face. "Hey, it's not his fault, alright?"

"Sticking up for your big bad crush again, are you?" he sneered, and she was taken aback by the venom in his voice. She was about to bite back with a retort and kick-start another Red vs. Yellow bloodbath argument, when Tommy stepped in.

"Guys, not now," he stated. "We're gonna need back-up, big time. Trent, Kira, come with me."

He walked past them, pushing them apart as he headed towards the tunnel exit.

"Why not me?" Conner inquired. "Or Ethan, or Kaylee? Why _them_?"

"You'll have your role to play in this, Conner," Tommy stated, glancing at him. "Trust me. Right now, I need these two."

Kira and Trent exchanged glances, confused as they moved to follow Dr. O.

"Keep an eye on the city, and call us if that thing returns," Tommy ordered the others, and they nodded. He turned away. "Come on."

Dr. O disappeared through the tunnel exit, as did Trent, but Kira cast one last glance to Conner, who threw back a cold stare, before she too vanished.

"Creepy…tunnel…," Kaylee whispered.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

Alexi Poporof kicked the ball along the field, dodging defenders left, right and center, and eventually scoring. Conner watched for the longest time, until the ball landed at his feet. He kicked it up into his hands, just as Alexi came over.

"Hey, nice kick," he commented. "Can you—"

Alexi cut him off by grabbing the ball and running back to the field to play. Conner frowned, watching him go as another soccer played joined him.

"McKnight," the buy said. "Get in there."

"Maybe later," Conner stated, his eyes never leaving the strange boy.

"He's good," the other soccer player pointed out, following Conner's gaze to see Alexi playing. "Better be careful or you might find yourself replaced."

And with that, the joking soccer player ran back to the game.

"We'll see about that," Conner muttered, dropping his gym bag and bending down, unzipping it. He only got out a shin pad when his communicator beeped, stopping him. He looked down at it, annoyed, and then back to the soccer game.

Sighing, he ran off.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"What's up?" Conner asked, annoyed, as he came into the Dino Lab to find Ethan working at the computer, Kaylee standing by his shoulder.

"Our problem just got a lot bigger," Kaylee groaned, and the video screen shifted to show a giant Terrorsaurus.

"He's in the woods outside of town," Ethan explained.

"So what are you waiting for?" Conner demanded.

"Our orders, remember?" Kaylee pointed out, ever the voice of reason. "Dr. O said to call him and the tender twins if that guy showed up again."

"Yeah, but why?" Conner spat, his hatred for Trent and the mention of him and Kira together seething through his words. "They've got something important to do. We can handle this."

The Blue and Green Rangers exchanged glances, and Conner groaned, turning toe. "C'mon!"

"Alright, but the minute things get ugly, we call for back-up," Kaylee said.

"Sure," Conner shrugged.

"Let's do it," Ethan stated, getting up. "I'll call the Zords from here."

"Ethe, have you not learned that making a Zord without all the right Rangers is really, really, sweatingly hard?" Kaylee whined.

"Sweatingly? That's not a word."

"I don't care!" she cried. "As much as I loved Duckysaurus, it was a little hard to keep together with two people."

"Uh, Kayl…," Ethan trailed off, pointing to how there were _three_ of them.

Then, Kaylee remembered Ethan, Kira and Conner had been able to make a Megazord without her before Ducky Jr came into play. "Oh, right," she grinned sheepishly.

"You two done?" Conner inquired, and they nodded, joining him.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

The Megazord, completed without the Yellow Pterazord for the time being, lumbered through the woods, not finding the Terrorsaurus anywhere.

"Where is he?" Ethan frowned.

"Why complain?" Kaylee retorted. "I don't wanna meet up with Mr Terror again!"

The sky suddenly blackened, storm clouds rolling in.

"Something's wrong," Conner stated.

Just then, lightning cracked the ground ahead of them, thunder rumbling through the skies soon after. From the smoke of the impact rose two of the auxiliary Zords: Cephalazord and Ankylozord.

"Look! Our Zords!" Conner exclaimed, moving the Megazord towards them.

"Orange Compadre!" Kaylee yelled happily.

No sooner had the Megazord taken a few steps did the storm clear, and giant bubbles wrapped around two Zords, flying them away.

"A trap!" Ethan pointed out all too late, as the Terrorsaurus appeared from where he'd been using Chameleon powers to hide. The Zords are blown past the Megazord, towards him.

"And you fell for it!" the monster chuckled evilly, attacking the Megazord with Superspeed. After a few blows, the towering machinery fell apart into Tyrannozord, Tricerazord and Spinozord, writhing on the ground in pain as the Rangers fell as well. "Now you're mine!"

The large white creature surrounded the three Zords with more bubbles, and the Rangers were left to watch as their Zords were pulled towards the Terrorsaurus.

"Our Zords!" Ethan yelled.

"No!" Conner called.

"ORANGE BUDDY!" Kaylee freaked.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"Thanks," Trent said suddenly as he, Kira and Tommy walked through the woods, next to a river. "To the both of you….for trusting me. It means a lot."

"Even with everything that happened…I…I can't help but trust you, Trent," Kira revealed. "I always knew you were a good guy deep down, so I never lost faith."

"But I hurt you so many times," he pointed out, being reminded of Conner's threat.

"True," she nodded sadly. "But…but we made it out. And now you're back where you belong: with us. And…and even if the others don't trust you, I do, okay?"

"Okay," he grinned, before helping her cross the river as they followed Dr. O.

"I do trust you," Tommy affirmed as well. "But I meant what I said in the lab. This mission had to be yours."

"Why?" Trent frowned.

"There's an ancient artifact that was hidden out here centuries ago. I've known it's whereabouts for a while, but only one power can retrieve it."

Trent stopped in his tracks, watching his science teacher. "Mine?"

"Yes," he replied. "Using your chameleon power, you should be able to retrieve the artifact from it's hiding place. But I'm warning you, it won't be easy."

"I'm ready…," Trent nodded, getting an encouraging smile from Kira.

"Good, let's go," Tommy stated, turning and continuing to walk.

"Wait, why am I here, then?" Kira asked. "If you just need Trent…"

"To stop you from killing Conner, or vise versa," Tommy mused.

"Oh," she breathed. "Makes sense."

In no time, they arrived at a beautiful waterfall.

"Wow," Kira whispered.

"Is this the place?" Trent asked, in just as much awe as her.

"Yep, it's there," Tommy stated, walking to the edge of the water. "In the water."

"Too bad Tori wasn't here…," Kira murmured, taking a step back and allowing Trent and Tommy to do whatever it is they need to do to get the artifact.

"Okay, raise your arms like this," Tommy instructed.

Both men raised their left arms, bent at the elbow, fists clenched, and Dino Gems facing outwards. "Now, concentrate!!" Tommy exclaimed. "Use the Dino Gem power!"

Trent nodded, and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind, faintly picturing the encouraging smile Kira held for him earlier as he thought hard. As he does, his and Tommy's Dino Gems began to glow, shooting out light.

The light went into the water, making it bubble. Out of the water, a large, colorless shield appeared, levitating.

"There it is!" Kira cried, and both men opened their eyes, making sounds of surprise.

"It's working!" Trent marveled.

"Don't break the concentration, stay focused," Dr. O instructed, as the shield began to glow.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

In the midst of battle, Conner staggered, holding his head as heat rushed to him, and an odd light-headed sensation filled him. "Whoa…I'm getting a weird feeling…"

"Conner, you okay?" Kaylee inquired, noticing the troubled Red Ranger. She smirked underneath her helmet. "You're not suffering Rockstar Withdrawal, are you?"

"Shut up…," he snapped, before hissing in pain. "Something…Something's calling me…"

"Dude, totally sixth sense there," Ethan commented.

"Whoa…," Conner gasped, as an image of a specially clad Red Ranger entered his mind, holding a large golden shield. "Wicked…"

He's broken out of this weird fantasy by the growl of the Terrorsaurus, who, as Conner looked up to the towering hulk, disappeared.

"Huh?" he frowned. "Where are you—"

The creature appeared in front of them, back to normal size.

"Hurray! No squishing!" Kaylee clapped, before Ethan and Conner looked at her, and even without seeing their faces she understood they were telling her to shut up. "Right. Serious."

"Your head too big for you helmet?" the Terrorsaurus chuckled, looking at Conner, who still clutching at his head slightly.

"What have you done with our Zords?" Conner growled, ignoring the insult.

"You should be more worried about what I'll do to you," it cackled.

"Dude, that sounded…," Kaylee trailed off, getting looks from the guys again. She chuckled sheepishly, before turning to the monster. "Gimme back Orange Compadre, you overgrown gecko!"

"Your Zords belong to me now," it grinned, causing a horn to protrude from its chest. Glowing from within the horn were their Zords, floating around in bubbles. The two Zords cried out desperately. "Prepare for your demise!"

It spread its wings (which Kaylee later swore were _not_ there before) and leaped from the ground, speeding through the air towards the Rangers.

"In your dreams!" Conner snapped as he, Ethan and Kaylee drew their lasers.

"Fire!" Ethan called, and they did just that, only to find out it had no affect on the Terrorsaurus.

"Look out!" Conner warned, as the monster flew past them, knocking them all down. As the Blue Ranger got to his feet, he fired again, only to have the creature turn back and grab him, lifting him up.

"Let me go!" Ethan yelled.

"Oh, that's not smart…," Kaylee shook her head, watching the two fly higher and higher.

"Let me go!" the Blue Ranger exclaimed louder.

"Have it your way," the monster chuckled, dropping him and watching as he fell through the air a ways, into a large patch of muddy water. His friends ran over to help him up.

"Nasty," Conner muttered.

"Told ya," Kaylee stated, mirth in her voice.

"What is up with this guy?" Conner growled, watching the Terrorsaurus land nearby.

"You are powerless against me!" it declared.

"Yeah, except powerfully stinky on Ethan's part," Kaylee commented, putting a hand over where her nose would be beneath the helmet.

"Hey, shut it!" the Blue Ranger whined.

"Let's try our Sabers," Conner suggested, breaking the two from their bickering.

"Yeah!" they nodded. "Thundermax Saber, power up!"

Pulling our their Sabers, they ran at the creature from three different directions.

"Fools," it laughed. "Come on! Show me what you got!"

Unfortunately for them, the moment they'd have collided with him, he disappeared, effectively causing the three Rangers to crash into each other.

And then fall to the ground, groaning.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"I can't hold it much longer!" Trent hissed through gritted teeth, trying very hard to keep his concentration up despite the strain on his powers.

"Don't let go," Tommy stated. "If we lose it now, it's gone forever."

"Gotta…stay….focused…," Trent groaned, the force of his struggle bringing him to his knees.

"Trent!" Dr. O called, unable to turn away from his power strand to help him.

"It…It's slipping…," Trent wheezed. "I can't…"

"You can," Kira whispered, kneeling down beside him and holding out her hand towards the shield, yellow power flowing from it. "You guys just need a little help."

Her power ripples outwards, and beats against the orb surrounding the shield, pounding repeatedly, shockwave after shockwave. She knows she won't be able to aid them forever, as it's not her place, and as she begins to feel heat rise to her head, and her knees wobble against the earth, she prays that things will be alright.

_Conner_…, she pleads in her thoughts.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"Maybe we should have waited for Dr. O," Conner commented when they hit the ground again.

"You think?" Kaylee asked sarcastically.

"Prepare to be destroyed," the Terrorsaurus cackled, before his eyes glowed a fierce orange and the laser that came out from them sent the Rangers hurtling through the air, and into the river down at the bottom of the cliff. "Time to destroy your city."

It flew off into the distance, and the three Rangers were left to get to the surface, and then wade out of the river, wet and annoyed.

"That was a great idea, Conner," Kaylee muttered.

"Wow, you're really taking over Kira's sarcasm today, aren't ya?" Ethan laughed, and Kaylee took off her helmet, pouring the water out and glaring at him. "Sorry…just telling it like it is…"

"Ugh…," Conner groaned, clutching his head again. "It's happening again…"

In his mind, he saw the shield from earlier glow brighter and brighter, but it was obscured by a blurry and fading yellow silhouette, kneeling before the shield. A soft cry rang out in his mind as the silhouette struggled to keep whatever hold on the shield it held.

He knew in his heart it was Kira, and it hurt to watch her struggle, and hear the pain in her voice as she told Dr. O and Trent that they could do it.

That it only took a little more.

The shield in his mind wavered, drawing him in again.

"Something…something isn't right…," he states.

"What do you mean?" Kaylee inquired, exchanging a worried glance with Ethan.

"I can't explain it," he told them. "I just know Kira…and the guys…need me."

With that, he took off, leaving a Green and Blue Ranger to exchange another glance.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

"I'm sorry…," Kira muttered, looking left to Trent and Dr. O, sweating covering her brow. She's on her feet now, but knows her knees won't hold her much longer. "I…I tried to keep it going as long as I could but…I can't…I can't hold on…"

As her eyes rolled upwards, and her yellow strand of Dino Power shorts out. She let out a deep breath and fell backwards, screwing her eyes shut and waiting for impact. But no such thing ever came.

Instead, she felt a rush of swift air, and a strong arm wrap around her. Blinking, she opened her eyes to see Conner standing there, clad in red, holding her with one arm.

"How's that for timing?" he stated, and she could tell from his voice he was smirking. He set her down gently in a sitting position, before running past the others and leaping into the air, grabbing the shield from its deteriorated orb.

"Thanks…," Trent sighed, as Tommy helped him up.

"You got the Shield's telepathic message!" Tommy grinned proudly.

"Uh…yeah…sure," Conner chuckled a little awkwardly, glancing at Kira and thanking his Ranger helmet from shielding his gaze.

"It proves I was right. It proves you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"The Shield of Triumph," Tommy stated. "Only a Ranger in complete sync with the universal Dino energy can handle its power."

"But when you took Trent, I thought…"

"Jealous much?" Kira giggled, looking up at him.

"I know you can't see it, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you," he stated, making her laugh.

"For the Shield to assume full power," Dr. O went on, getting back on track. "All Rangers must contribute a part of themselves. Trent and I have done our part, now it's up to the rest of you."

"Tell me what I have to do," Conner nodded. "Cause the Terrorsaurus is back and we can use all the help we can get."

Kira stood at that point, and swayed slightly, nearly falling over were it not for Conner wrapping a strong arm around her waist. "Thanks."

"You sure you're gonna be able to help with this shield thing?" Conner laughed, motioning to the Shield of Triumph with the hand it was in.

"Shut up, not weak," she replied, pushing off and standing up straight.

"I have to get Trent back to the lab," Tommy stated, and they turned to see the White Ranger slumped against him, drained and practically falling over. "Conner, you need to get the other three to do their part for the Shield."

"Alright," Conner nodded, gripping the Shield tightly. "We won't let you down."

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

The Terrorsaurus spun around on the spot, high above the city on a building. In their bubbles, the two Zords floated above him. Behind him, Kaylee and Ethan appeared, in morph, Thundermax Sabers drawn.

"Huh?" the creature stated, turning around to see Blue and Green oncoming Rangers.

"Charge!" Kaylee yelled, as she and Ethan rushed forward.

The Terrorsaurus stood there, waiting, and watched as the two Rangers ran for him. It chuckled maliciously, kicking-starting it's Superspeed and meeting them in the middle of the rooftop, hitting them again and again.

Ethan was knocked back first, and he landed on his butt. Kaylee came to stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Pull it together, Ethe."

"Terrorsaurus Laser!" the monster shouted, blasting both Rangers and knocking them all off the roof. Thankfully, they landed on their feet, but the monster followed closely. "Here I come!"

"Yeah, thanks for the narration," Kaylee muttered, pushing herself to her feet.

"Tyranno Staff!" Conner yelled, coming over a car, his weapon drawn as he rushed towards the monster. He struck the Terrorsaurus several quick times, but the blows had no effect The creature grabbed his Staff, and used it to hit him back, sending him flying against a nearby pillar.

Conner fell to the ground and Ethan attempted to attack next with Tricera Shield.

"Tricera—"

The Blue Ranger was cut off when the Terrorsaurus knocked him into a tree.

"Finished?" the monster laughed.

"Now even close!" Kaylee exclaimed, springing forward with her Spino Whip. She cracked the whip forward, wrapping it around the Terrorsaurus.

"That tickles," it chuckled, grabbing the end of the whip and pulling on it so hard that Kaylee was whisked off her feet and thrown into a car. She groaned, slumping to the ground.

The three Rangers regrouped in the middle, only to be blasted off their feet.

"First I took your Zords, now I will destroy you!" Terrorsaurus cackled with evil laughter as the three struggled to get up.

"Alright…I think it's time for Super Dino Mode!" Conner called, pushing himself up as best he could. _C'mon Kira…hurry…_

The other nodded, and slowly they got up. "SUPER DINO MODE!"

"It won't matter," the monster growled, seeing their suits change with power.

"Don't bet on it!" Conner grinned, leaping forward.

Kaylee and Ethan followed suit, only to have orange rays and lasers from the Terrorsaurus hit them and blast them onto their asses.

"What's his deal?" Conner growled.

"Power Rangers, let me be the first to tell you, you're doomed!" Terrorsaurus taunted.

"Try me," Conner dared, leaping forward, this time motioning for the other two to stay behind.

For a few moments, the newly empowered Red Dino Ranger and the Terrorsaurus battled it out, using anything at their disposal, and mostly their weapons, until suddenly, the creature's eyes shone with blue and orange light, and the Red Ranger was wrapped up in it.

The light dragged Conner forward, towards the monster, who caught him, grinning maliciously.

"I have you now, Red Ranger," it sneered, before launching him into a nearby building. He cried out in pain, and felt his shoulder move in a direction it really shouldn't, before Ethan and Kaylee crouched by him, breathing heavily and injured themselves.

"You will learn respect, my little pets," Terrorsaurus declared, stalking forward.

"And you'll learn to quit beating up my friends!" Kira yelled, stepping in and stopping the creature by slashing it across the chest with her Ptera Grips. It created a shower of sparks, and it stumbled backwards, both hurt and shocked she had landed a hit.

"Kira!" Kaylee squealed, hopping forward and hugging her.

"Hey…whoa…," Kira laughed, patting the Green Ranger on the back. Kaylee drew back when she noticed something glowing in Kira's hand.

"Whoa…glowy!" the teen giggled, taking in the sight of a large glowing shield. "The Hell is that?"

"The Shield of Triumph," Ethan breathed.

"Dude, how the hell did you know that?" Conner frowned.

"Um, Con…," Kira trailed off, pointing to Ethan. "Nerd."

"Hey!" Ethan yelled.

"Uh, guys…," Kaylee began, pointing towards the rising Terrorsaurus.

"What, it's true!" Kira exclaimed.

"You could be nicer!" Ethan bit back.

"Guys…," Kaylee said again.

"Here, Dr. O said you'd know what to do," Kira stated, handing the Shield to Conner.

"Uh…yeah…," he trailed off.

"Uh, _guys_!" Kaylee said, putting more emphasis as the monster came towards them, eyes glowing orange.

"Dr. Oliver's trusting the airhead to know what to do?" Ethan frowned. "That's odd."

"Dude, shut up," Conner snapped. "He said only someone who's totally in tune with…some smart crap, could master this thing."

"Yes, because the one who says 'some smart crap' is really suited," Ethan rolled his eyes.

"GUYS!" Kaylee yelled.

"WHAT?!" all three Rangers groaned, turning to her. She meekly pointed to the side, and they looked to see the Terrorsaurus, powered up and angrily stomping towards them.

"Oh shit," Ethan muttered, looking at Conner. "Better start figuring out that Shield. Now!"

"Okay," Conner nodded, taking a deep breath. "Kaylee, Ethan, I need your total trust. Kira already knows what to do, but I need your Dino Powers too. Do you trust me?"

"Yep," Kaylee smiled.

"Always did," Ethan agreed.

"You won't be sorry," Conner stated, holding the black and white Shield out before him, facing the Terrorsaurus. "Triassic Power, engage!"

As the Shield began to glow, Ethan and Kaylee stepped forward, holding their hands out towards the Shield, green and blue strands of Dino Power flowing out. They filled and covered only two thirds of the Shield, leaving the third piece a faded grey color.

Kira took a deep breath, watching her friends, and stepped forward, sliding her hand onto Conner's wrist and closing her eyes, concentrating on her Dino Power. Soon enough, yellow joined blue and green, and swirled together.

The three strands connected, creating a blast of lightning and color that made the Shield glow brightly and unlocking the Shield's power.

Golden lining and plates covered his Ranger suit, being most prominent in his morpher, the emblem on his chest, his helmet, and the golden shoulder-blades that appeared. As power flowed through his body from the shield, Ethan and Kaylee fell to their knees, all their power drained and used.

They powered down involuntarily, clutching their stomachs and taking deep breaths. Kira was next to go, but because she hadn't been morphed, more power had been taken, and she collapsed completely, passing out.

Conner knelt down beside her, worry settling in. "Kira? Kira!"

"She'll be fine," Kaylee stated after taking her fellow musician's pulse. "She's just unconscious."

"We'll watch her, dude, you go burst that monster's bubble," Ethan encouraged his friend.

Conner nodded, getting up and facing the Terrorsaurus, a determined and angry look set into the features hidden by his helmet. "You're in deep trouble now."

"Bring it!" the monster taunted.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he chuckled. "Shield of Triumph, activate!"

Red lightning shot out of the Shield, causing the creature to disappear, and then Conner. They reappeared in the Shield's own dimension, complete with darkness, and faint echoes of color everywhere.

"What's going on?" Terrorsaurus frowned, looking around the dimension. "Where am I?"

"Welcome to my world!" Conner grinned, easily blocking the monster's next laser attack thrown his way. He then retrieved his own laser. "Fire!"

A multi-colored laser, flashing red, yellow, green, blue, black and white as it raced through the air towards the creature, hitting it square in the chest. It was sent flying backwards.

Conner leapt forward, flying after it and summoning a sword with which to hit it several times, slashing in all directions. The monster is blasted away again, sent to land in a different part of the dimension, but yet again, Conner followed.

He struck the Terrorsaurus several more times, before hitting him then with the Shield and knocking him into a giant web as it appeared.

He stalked forward, watching the monster struggle and attempt to escape.

"Game over," Conner stated, slashing him two more times, with fierce sparks erupting from the marks, before they returned to the real world, and Terrorsaurus exploded, it's mournful wails fading into the air around them as it died.

xX-Triassic-Triumph-Xx

Conner led the way along the path, towards the park, lightly supporting Kira with one arm, as she was still exhausted from exerting her powers so much. Ethan and Kaylee followed, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

"That shield rocks!" Conner grinned.

"No doubt," Ethan nodded.

"Thanks for trusting me with your powers, guys," Conner smiled.

"Least I could do as thanks for not letting me face-plant," Kira stated as she left his side to sit on a bench near the soccer field.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind, _at all_," Kaylee giggled, and Conner sent her a glare.

"Anything to help get our Zords back," Ethan added.

"I just wish you could have felt what it was like," Conner told them. "The power is amazing."

"Just don't let it go to your head, Jockboy," Kira smiled.

"I won't," he grinned goofily, just as Trent showed up. "Hey, Trent."

"Feeling better?" Kaylee inquired. "Conner told us you were pretty wiped.

"Much better, thanks," he nodded, sitting on the bench beside Kira. "By the way, Conner, Dr. O said that the power was always meant for you, so congrats. All you had to do was trust in yourself and then it was easy for others to trust in you too."

"Thanks," Conner half-grinned.

"See?" Ethan smirked. "All that jealousy and look how great everything worked out."

"Yeah…," the soccer star, nodded, trying to keep himself from glaring at Trent, who sat close to Kira on the bench. Instead, he heard the sounds of soccer and looked up to see his team arriving, Alexi amongst them. "Almost everything."

He walked off towards the field, stopping the ball with his foot as it was kicked to him.

"We still on for that bet?" Trent asked, glancing at Kira.

"Hell yeah," she grinned, and they listened in as best they could as Conner approached the new guy, Alexi.

"Here," he stated, passing the guy the ball.

"Thank you."

"So, how are you?" Conner inquired, trying for to make him at ease.

"Good, uh…you are Conner, right?"

"Yeah."

And then, both boys spoke at the same time.

"Look, I just wanted to say that—"

"Conner, I just wanted to—"

Both grinned now, a small laugh escaping both their lips.

"You first," Conner said.

"No, you."

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Conner told him, "about getting all up in your face back at Cyberspace. I mean, my friends are always telling me to shut up, and—"

"Please, stop," Alexi requested.

"Yeah, just like that," Conner chuckled sheepishly, and over at the park bench, Kira grinned triumphantly, making Trent groan.

"No, no, it's me, I…my English…not very good," Alexi replied. "And I think you will not understand me…"

"So, that's why you didn't want to talk before?" Conner frowned.

"I am…ah…how you say…?" Alexi searched for the words, clearly flustered, "nervous about my English."

"Dude, your English is great!" Conner exclaimed, smiling. "Look, let's forget the whole thing and start again, deal?"

"Deal," Alexi nodded, and they shook on it before running off towards the practice. Alexi kicked the ball towards the others, and Conner got it first. Together, the boys passed back and forth, up the field, until they scored.

"Sweet!" Conner exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Alexi agreed.

"Aww, man!" Kira groaned, not because of the goal, but because of Conner's triumph in more than just battle today. "Why couldn't he be…his regular dumb jock self?"

"Fair's fair," Trent grinned, and she took out a ten dollar bill from her wallet, handing it him. "And a raise I have!"

"Conner, why couldn't you be an idiot like usual?!" Kira called, cupping her hands together. Conner, hearing her voice, turned to see what she wanted, only to get a soccer ball in the face.

The others gasped, the guys cringing and Kaylee placing her hands in front of her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

"That doesn't count," Trent told the Yellow Ranger, glancing at her and spotting the large and mirth-filled grin on her face.

"I know, but that makes losing ten dollars worth it!" Kira laughed.


	20. Littler Than Life

**Alright folks, behold, the Kaylee-centric chapter! A big thanks to John Chubb for giving me the ideas for this wonderful chapter, and Lily Hanson for keeping me on track when I wrote (what am I going to do when she goes home?)**

* * *

**_Littler Than Life._**

"Alright, the weekend!" Conner shouted as he and Ethan headed for the door of the calculus class, finally free for the long weekend.

"Hey, Kayl," Kira grinned, leaning on her best friend's desk as the blonde sat there, her open bag on her desk. "D'you mind if I come over and hang out this afternoon? My 'rents are having some weird party with friends, and I'd rather not be servant to them."

"Yeah, sounds like fun," Kaylee nodded, gathering her things and dumping them in her bag as she got up. She made sure only Kira was within earshot when she spoke again. "Tori's out of town again, staying at Ops for more Water Sensei stuff."

"Aww, so you're alone again?" Kira sighed, patting her friend on the back. "Well, just us then."

"For what?" Conner inquired as the girls stepped out of class, where he and Ethan were waiting. Trent had already left for his shift at Cyberspace, which Kaylee had taken off; figuring she and Tori could do a Friday movie night together.

Before she got news that Cam and Sensei wanted her for more training, that is.

"A girl's night out," Kira grinned, wrapping an arm around Kaylee's shoulders and laughing as both boys looked hurt they weren't included.

"NBA," Kaylee added.

"Basketball?" Ethan scoffed. "What kind of a girl's night is that?"

"No boys allowed, idiot," Kira rolled her eyes, making Conner laugh.

"Dude, even I got that!" he chuckled, only to have the dirty blonde send him a skeptic look. "Okay, maybe not…"

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"Grr, we're missing our movie because of this overgrown…thingie!" Kaylee yelled, dodging the razor-blade arm of today's Meso-monster. "What is this thing anyway?"

"Don't know," Conner stated, blocking the other arm with his Tyranno Staff.

"Round ears, front paws and striped orange fur indicate Tiger," Ethan reported. "Thousands of bug eyes and see-through rounded wings means fly and…I have no idea what kind of fin tail is sticking out between those mechanical legs."

"Thank you, Dr. Analysis," Kira rolled her eyes, leaping at the creature with her Ptera Grips, slashing away. It glowed purple, and quickly shrunk out of her way, into the size of a large fly, causing Kira to go flying and hit the ground.

"Where'd it go?" Kaylee frowned, looking around. She spotted something small and black zooming around in the air, and attempted to swat away the fly that went for her helmet-covered face. "Hey! Go away! Shoo! Shoo fly!"

"The name's Shrigger!" it cackled, growing to normal size a few feet away, some large laser suddenly in hand.

"Shrigger?" Kaylee and Kira exchanged glances.

"Shrink and Tigger," Conner stated, laughing.

"How did you…?" Kira trailed off.

"Kira, it's Conner," Kaylee pointed out, and both girls laughed.

"Hey!" Conner protested.

"Sometimes, you gotta lose, dude," Ethan chuckled, clapping him on the back.

"And today, it looks like you're all losing, Rangers!" Shrigger exclaimed, firing off a large laser at them. Kaylee grabbed her friends, knowing they couldn't dodge it, and concentrated.

_**ZWOP!**_

The blast managed to hit the remaining green glow, and somehow, when the Rangers landed a few feet behind the creature, in a puff of green smoke, a jolt of purple lightning ran through the Green Ranger.

"Ow!" she yelled, collapsing to the ground in pain.

"Kaylee!" Ethan cried, kneeling down beside her.

"Well, at least I got one of you!" the monster cracked up. All three remaining Rangers turned to it, anger set into their faces, and even though the helmets hid this, Shrigger could tell he wasn't going to like what was coming.

"Ookay…," he laughed nervously. "Time to fly!"

He glowed purple, and quickly shrunk into small bug-size again, flying off.

Kaylee took long and painful breaths as Ethan and Kira helped her sit up. On her suit, above her heart, was a singed mark from where Shrigger's laser had hit her, and when she poked it (being Kaylee) she got a little electric shock of purple electricity. "The Hell?"

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

_Ding Dong!!_

_**ZWOP!**_

Kaylee opened the door, smiling as Kira stepped in, slipping out of her sneakers. "Hey, are you feeling better?"

"Yep, good as new!" Kaylee grinned, watching as Kira waved a hand through the puff of green smoke that had followed Kaylee there after teleporting.

"You know, have you noticed that your trail keeps getting bigger and bigger?" Kira inquired, pointing to the disappearing green smoke.

"Yeah, it kinda is," Kaylee laughed, closing the door. "Maybe it's a sign my powers are getting stronger! Sweet!"

"Well, you have been using them a lot," Kira pointed out, just before _**ZWOP**_ resonated in the air and more green smoke appeared as Kaylee resurfaced beside the fridge a little ways away in the kitchen. "Like that."

"It's fun!" Kaylee giggled, opening the fridge and pulling out a large platter. She placed it on the counter, kicking the door shut with her foot as Kira came over to witness the large strawberry shortcake underneath the plastic cover.

"Wicked!" Kira grinned, eyes wide and sparkling. "It looks so good!"

"Yeah…so, what are you having?"

Kira laughed, shaking her head.

"Not kidding," Kaylee deadpanned. "My appetite has been _massive_ since that run in with Shrigger yesterday!"

"Kayl, you can't eat that whole thing, you'll be sick," Kira told her.

The blonde merely pointed to her stomach, as if hunger was the best reason.

"You sure you're okay?" the rocker frowned, watching as Kaylee split the cake into one HUGE part, and one small slice, and began devouring the larger piece with a fork. "First the trail, now the hunger."

"Maybe I'm growing," Kaylee shrugged, speaking with a mouth half-full. "It'd be nice. Shortness kinda sucks."

"Tell me about it," Kira laughed, grabbing a fork and joining in the eating, even if in her mind, she wondered about her friend and about the slight differences in her since being hit with Shrigger's laser through her own portal.

They were halfway through the cake when Kaylee dropped her fork, blinking repeatedly.

"Kayl…?" Kira frowned. "Kaylee?"

"You hear that?" the blonde questioned, making Kira further confused.

"You mean, that nice silence that's about to be interrupted by us stuffing our faces again?"

"No…it was…it was like a _zwop_," Kaylee breathed, squinting her eyes as she scanned the kitchen and living room nearby, looking at the air.

"Kaylee, c'mon, stop acting weird," Kira pleaded. "You're starting to make me worry."

"I _swear_ I heard it!" Kaylee exclaimed, starting off towards the living room, squinting at the air.

_**ZWOP!**_

Other side of the living room.

_**ZWOP!**_

Other side of the kitchen.

_**ZWOP!**_

Outside the front door.

_**ZWOP!**_

Kitchen counter.

_**ZWOP!**_

"Kaylee, stop!" Kira yelled, grabbing the girl by the arm when she reappeared beside her.

A large cloud of green encircled the two now, and others of various sizes where scattered around the two rooms. "This is _not_ normal for your powers."

"Maybe they're advancing…," Kaylee shrugged, straining to hear the sound again. "Gone… huh… weird…oh well, Food!"

She leapt at the remainder of the cake, finishing it off quicker than Kira could spell "_Zwop_."

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"I can't believe the girls ditched us," Conner muttered, leaning against the counter at Cyberspace, Ethan sitting beside him.

"Well, their girl's night out _was_ ruined by that monster showing up," the Blue Ranger stated.

"Speaking of which," Trent began, stopping on the other side of the counter and emptying his tray of glasses. "Has the disappearing act made his encore, yet?"

"Nope," both boys shook their heads.

"Darn, I miss all the fun," the White Ranger frowned.

"Well, how about we have a dude day then?" Conner suggested.

"Uh, Conner, I'm working," Trent pointed out.

"And, Dr. O's kinda…not able to be in public, remember?" Ethan added.

"For one, who said it had to be _immediately_?" Conner laughed, before frowning at Ethan. "And secondly, the guy's too old for dude days. Teacher's retreats, maybe, but no dude days."

"_I heard that_," Tommy's voice lightly came in over the com-link on Conner's Dino Gem bracelet, causing him to jump in surprise, effectively falling off his chair.

"Maybe you should go, Trent," Hayley suggested, walking up. "Because I have a fear that if you stay here, Conner and Ethan will too, and it seems Soccer-Boy needs fresh air to circulate in his brain to stop him from falling."

"That was Dr. O's fault!" Conner protested.

"Uh-huh," Hayley laughed, looking then to Trent. "Day off. Go on, it's not busy in here anyway."

"Alright, sweet, thanks," the White Ranger grinned, placing the rag he'd been cleaning glasses with on the counter, before coming out from behind it, and leaving with the guys.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"Gonna take out the garbage, be right back," Kaylee stated, grabbing a large green bag and walking towards the front door. She stepped outside and headed down the path towards the driveway, unknowing that a large monster mix of Tiger, Fly and Fish was watching alongside the White Ranger clone from the rooftop across the street.

"You say she's infected?" the evil White Ranger questioned.

"Yes," Shrigger nodded. "She was hit with a concentrated blast from my laser, _through_ her portal. It should be affecting her powers as we speak."

"Excellent. How far will it go?"

"Well, she didn't get that much, she'll just feel a need to use her powers a whole lot, and exert a lot of energy, burning off quicker than she can create."

"And if you hit her again? Just as she teleports?"

"Not sure…," Shrigger shrugged. "Wanna find out?"

The White Ranger cast his creature a glance as if to say '_what do you think_?' and the monster cackled, bringing out its laser and aiming it at the Green Ranger down below. Kaylee turned, and began her walk back inside, only to stop and feel the need to teleport again.

She grinned, picturing the sofa in the living room.

"Fire!" Shrigger whispered, his laser blasting off a ray of purple electricity that sped towards the Green Ranger, hitting her a split second before she vanished in a puff of green smoke.

_**ZWOP!**_

"When she lands, her problems are all going to seem a lot bigger," Shrigger snickered.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

Kaylee groaned, her eyes slowly fluttering open, finding the ceiling of the living room above her. Her head hurt slightly, as did everything else, and she wondered what the hell had happened.

"Don't remember getting drunk…," she commented, even if the headache making itself known was almost like a hangover. "The Hell? I was taking out the garbage! What in the hell happened?!"

She moved a little, and felt the comfortable sofa cushion beneath her, answering where she was. Grinning, she sat up, only to see vast sofa cushion, spreading out before her, and the arm of the sofa so very far away.

She frowned, looking to her right and up, and seeing that the back of the sofa was HUGE.

"The Hell?" she repeated, looking around. It was her living room, and everything was intact, but it all seemed…larger. _Much_ larger. "Is this my living room? What's going on? Why does it seem like I'm suffering a total Alice-In-Wonderland-Who-Stupidly-Drank-The-Potion moment?"

She stood up on the cushion, noticing that she'd been awkwardly leaning on the remote…which was now the size of a car. "Okay, normally that thing is huge, being all universal Cam-smart-tech or whatever…but it's gigantic!!"

She looked around the room again, and then sniffled loudly. "That must mean…somehow…I SHRANK!!" she yelled, before panic overcame her. "Great…the claustrophobic gets to shrink…in her own house…this is wonderful…oh…oh man…"

She took a deep breath; wishing Ducky was with her, or Dustin, as she flopped down on the sofa cushion, groaning. "Oh, what's going _on_?" she whined. "Okay…Okay, Kaylee, just…retrace your steps…"

She looked around, seeing that it might take her a _long_ while to do so considering the fact that everything was so far away. "I know, teleporting steps!" she grinned, before picturing the last place she had been – the driveway.

She smiled and closed her eyes, focusing her powers and waiting for the rush of air she normally felt and the static shock that came with teleporting.

But it never came.

"The Hell!" she yelled, opening her eyes.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"I don't know," Kira shrugged, flipping her phone shut. "I've called her house five times, left messages, as well as her cell phone eight times. No sign anywhere!"

"Have you tried Tori or Dustin?" Conner suggested. "Maybe she went to visit."

"Without warning and out of the blue when she just left to take out the garbage?" Kira frowned, giving him a serious look.

"It's Kaylee, you never know," he shrugged.

"Yeah, okay," Kira laughed, shaking her head. "But I'm not going to call them."

"Why not?"

"Why make them worry if she just, randomly went for a walk or something?"

"For five hours?"

"Like you said, it's Kaylee, you never know," Kira pointed out.

"Yeah, okay," Conner mocked her words, causing her to grin and hit him on the arm.

"Shut up," she snapped, before sighing. "Thanks for staying with me. I know you and the guys were having some 'dude day' or whatever—"

"Don't worry about it, they can play video games without me," Conner laughed. "Besides, it's my house; I can't very well ditch you. Which reminds me…why are you here?"

"Parents having some weird get-together with friends for the long weekend. I'd rather not play slave when something like this is up."

"Wasn't that yesterday?"

"_Long_ weekend, Jockboy," she laughed.

"Oh," he stated lamely, before her laugh brought a smile to him. Her good mood then faded as she flipped open her phone, and dialed Ethan's cell number.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"ZWOP!" Kaylee yelled, picturing anything from her room, to the driveway, to Kira's place, or the Dino Lab in her head, one following another, hoping her powers would kick in.

For the sixth consecutive time in the past ten minutes, she groaned and flopped back down onto the sofa cushion. "This is stupid," she muttered. "And unfair. Stupid powers. Stupid zwopping that doesn't work anymore…"

She paused a minute in her rant, listening to her eerily silent house, before yelling at the top of lungs and getting up, jumping up and down and waving her arms around.

"ETHAN!" she screamed, looking towards her front door, where she could see the Blue Ranger's face smooshed in the window, peering inside. She spotted a blurry white-clad figure blur behind him, and figured it must be Trent. "GUYS! IN HERE!"

She watched as Ethan turned to Trent, and said something, shrugging.

"No!" she yelled. "I'm in here! Don't leave! I'm here!"

She saw them turn to leave, and she panicked, knowing they were her only shot. She spotted the windowsill not that far away, and frowned at it with determination, concentrating.

"C'mon…c'mon…," she muttered, closing her eyes and picturing that windowsill. "Zwop for me…c'mon…c'm—"

_**ZWIP!**_

She opened her eyes, blinking repeatedly amidst the tiny puff of green that followed her to the windowsill.

She coughed, waving the stuff out of the way as she stepped up to the window, pounding on it again and again as she saw Trent and Ethan nearby. "GUYS!"

Ethan was on his phone, talking to someone as Trent stood there, hands in his pockets. Both boys looked worried. Ethan nodded, and hung up, before they walked off.

"No! Don't leave!" Kaylee cried, her hope slipping away. "Guys! Guys…please…"

It wasn't until she slid down to a sitting position, her back against the window, and the boys were long gone out of her sight that something clicked in her mind, and she frowned.

"Did I just…_zwip_?" she pondered aloud. "The Hell!"

She looked at the place where she'd been on the sofa earlier, and noticed it wasn't that far away and that walking there at this size might be like walking to the end of the driveway in normal size. "Okay…," she frowned. "Seems my distances shrunk with my size."

She focused on a space a little further on the sofa cushion then where she'd been, and she concentrated.

_**ZWIP!**_

"Sweet!" she cheered as she reappeared on the sofa, only to realize she had picked the empty space between sofa cushion. She hung in the air a moment, quite like a cartoon, before looking down. "Oh crap."

And then she fell into the blackness between cushions.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"So she wasn't there?" Conner asked as Kira got off the phone with Ethan, sighing.

"No," she shook her head. "They tried Cyberspace, the music shop, the house, and that little soccer field she likes to practice on sometimes. Nothing."

"Did you call Tori or Dustin?" he asked as they took a seat on the park bench. They'd taken a walk because Kira had hoped to come across her.

"I'm telling you, I'm not doing it. I don't wanna worry them for nothing."

"For nothing?" Conner sighed. "Rockstar, c'mon, she's been missing for nearly six hours, she isn't answering her phones, we don't have any signs of her…I don't call that nothing."

"Well, maybe she's just—"

"Feeling down?" someone's teasing voice suggested, and the teens turned to see Shrigger standing there beside the evil White Ranger, cackling with laughter.

"Dude, we really don't have time for you right now," Conner spat.

"Aww, why, missing green from the lovely rainbow?" the White Ranger sneered, whipping out his Drago Sword. "Maybe I could eliminate some more colors so you wouldn't feel so bad."

"What did you do with our friend?" Kira yelled, standing up, fists clenched.

"Nothing at all, just cut her down to size," Shrigger snickered. "She'll be having a hard time facing up to those towering problems now."

"Is it just me, or does that sound like those really sad jokes Meso-monsters make about battles nowadays?" Kira inquired. "With stupid puns…"

"Yeah…," Conner nodded, his fists clenching. "You ready to make them leave?"

"You know it."

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Ethan, Trent, Dr. O, and if you can hear me, Kaylee," Kira spoke into her morpher. "The Evil White Ranger and that clown, Shrigger, are back."

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"…_and if you can hear me, Kaylee_…"

As the blonde heard this from her morpher, her eyes shot open and she stared at her morpher, despite the darkness surrounding her.

"_The Evil White Ranger and that clown, Shrigger, are back_."

"Oh man," Kaylee groaned, looking around the enclosed cushion space and sighing. "Stupid random shrinking. My friends need me and I'm stuck between sofa cushions, the size of a freaking tennis ball! Really…really…close sofa cushions…oh crap."

Her fear kicked in, and her hands began to shake, but she begged herself to overcome this and use her morpher to contact the others – duh, why hadn't she before?

"Guys…," Kaylee spoke, her voice squeaking as fear wracked her mind. "Guys…can anybody hear me? Hello?"

She waited a few moments, and then repeated her message.

Still nothing.

"Great…," she muttered. "Just great…"

She screwed her eyes shut, and pictured the middle of her living room floor, wanting to be as far away from this sofa now as possible.

_**ZWIP!**_

Reappearing in the middle of the room, she swayed slightly, feeling a little light-headed.

"Whoa…using my powers never felt this…," she paused, swaying again. She grabbed onto the large leg of the coffee table, and held tight. "Horrible. I might want to stop teleporting."

She then looked up towards the kitchen counter where she knew she'd left her phone, and groaned. "And yet…it might make things easier."

She stared at the base of the counter, concentrating hard—

_**ZWIP!**_

—and smashing face first into the counter.

"Now I know how a pancake feels…," she groaned, sliding to the floor, and turning around so her back was to the cold counter base. "This sucks…this really sucks."

"_Maybe I should shrink you next, huh Yellow Ranger? If you want to see the Green one that bad!_"

The voice of Shrigger came in over Kaylee's morpher com-link, and she figured it was because one of her friends was close enough to the monster for it to register.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"You shrunk her?" Kira asked, affronted. "Where is she? What did you do with her?!"

"Why, we didn't move her at all," Shrigger snickered, dodging a slash aimed at his head by Kira's Ptera Grips. "She went right back inside the house after I blasted her."

"You mean…I left her there?" Kira squeaked. "Oh God."

She moved her morpher near her face, noticing the com-link was still on. "Kaylee, if you can hear me, I'm sorry! I'll figure out a way to free you as soon as—"

She was cut off when a white Drago Sword wrapped around her neck, and she was immobilized by the evil White Ranger, who snickered as the White and Red Rangers came to a stop before him, weapons at hand. Blue and Black continued to battle Shrigger nearby.

"Nope, sorry, I don't think you'll be freeing anybody anytime soon," the evil Ranger taunted. "And certainly not yourself."

"Let her go," Conner growled, tightening his grip on his Tyranno Staff. "Your fight's with me, not her."

"And don't forget me," Trent stated. "You're my clone, and you shouldn't exist, because there's only room for one White Ranger."

"You're right," the clone grinned, before he aimed his Drago Sword at him, firing off a series of arrows that pelted into Trent, knocking the White Ranger off his feet and into a park bench nearby, and effectively cracking it in half. "Now, where were we?"

"You were about to let Kira go, and then face me, so we can finish this," Conner stated.

"Nice try, but I'm not as naïve as Trent," the evil Ranger chuckled.

"Really?" Kira asked, looking upwards. "Because I think you're pretty stupid."

"What are you…?" he trailed off when he noticed she'd manage to unhook his Thundermax Laser from his belt and point it right at his ribs.

She fired off a blast, and the resulting explosion of sparks blasted the evil White Ranger clean off his feet, and into a lamp post, which bent under the pressure. However, the Yellow Ranger couldn't be that close to the blast and not be harmed, and she cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground.

Conner rushed over. "Kira!" he yelled, helping her into a sitting position. "You okay?"

"Kinda electric," she muttered, shaking a hand free of the static running through it, crackling loudly. "But otherwise unharmed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, now stop worrying about me and kick it up a notch so you can destroy these clowns and I can go get Kaylee!" she told him, and he nodded, facing the evil White Ranger and Shrigger as they got to their feet, following the blast from Ethan and Trent that had floored them.

"It's over, Rangers," the evil White Ranger chuckled, readying a flurry of arrows in the air.

"Yeah, for you," Conner stated, summoning the Shield of Triumph to his hands. Kira, Ethan and Trent (who lent his power for the moment to cover for Kaylee) sent their respective Dino Power strands forward, powering up the Shield. "Shield of Triumph, activate!"

Suddenly, the evil White Ranger, Shrigger and the Triassic Ranger found themselves in the alternative dimension, looking around.

"What have you done?!" the evil White Ranger yelled.

"One White Ranger is already a big enough pain in my ass, I don't need two, okay, buddy?" Conner muttered, aiming the Shield towards them and summoning a sword to his other hand. "I'm taking you out of the running."

As the two villains exchanged glances, attempting to power up to stop whatever card Fate was about to deal them, Conner charged up the shield, blasting the two and locking them in a series of sticky and winding webs, leaving them immobilized as he sprung forward, sword in hand.

It took a series of intense slashes and maneuvers before Conner was satisfied, and he jumped back, returning them all to the real world, to allow his friends to watch as the monster and evil Ranger stumbled and then blew up in a shower of sparks and lightning.

"Wow…," Trent breathed, never having witnessed the Shield thing as of yet. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, Conner."

"Dude, you do realize he just destroyed a copy of you, right?" Ethan laughed. "Ever heard of substitution?"

"Shut up," Trent commented, as they all powered down.

By the time the boys turned around to include Kira in their jokes, they noticed she was already gone.

"Right, time to head to Kaylee's then," Conner shrugged, and the boys set off on foot, seeing as how Kira had been their ride and she'd left with the car. Doctor Oliver excused himself and went back to the lab.

xX-Littler-Than-Life-Xx

"Almost…got…it…," Kaylee breathed, hopping off of the "9" and onto the "2".

She turned and was about to hop to the next number in Kira's cell number, but a strange feeling overcame her, and she stopped. "The Hell?" she frowned, noticing how she suddenly began to glow green.

A fine powder-like substance fell off of her, causing her nose to itch.

"Oh, no…A…A…A-choo!" she sneezed.

_**ZWIP!**_

Suddenly she found herself on the couch.

"A…A…A-choo!"

_**ZWIP!**_

The front door.

"A…A…A-choo!"

_**ZWIP!**_

The front lawn.

"A…A…A-choo!"

_**ZWOP!**_

The kitchen counter…and…growing?

"Ow!" Kaylee yelled when her head made contact with the bottom of the cupboards on the ceiling that were overhanging above the counter. "The Hell? Stupid cupboards, when did…"

She trailed off, noticing she was hunched over on the kitchen counter, _full size_.

"I'm…I'm normal!" she yelled happily. "I'm normal! Short, but normal! I'm gonna have a bruise on the back of my head tomorrow, but I'm back! YAY!"

She proceeded in doing a little victory dance, until the doorbell interrupted her.

_**ZWOP!**_

"I'm normal!" she exclaimed whipping open the front door and launching herself at Kira with a huge hug.

"Well, I wouldn't say that…," Kira smiled, causing the blonde to gasp and playfully swat her on the arm.

"Shut up, I just spent I dunno how long as a freaking midget!" Kaylee stated, letting her come in. "I was as tall as a tennis ball for crying out loud! And the sofa…oh, the sofa," she shuddered. "That space between the cushions…never fall there, Kira, never…"

"The sofa?" Kira laughed, going over and sitting down between the cushions just to make her friend freak out.

"Don't! It's dark and creepy and in-close and…," she trailed off when Kira gave her a look. "Okay, so maybe that's only when you've been shrunk to small size by your enemy, but it's still a scary place!"

"That's why you should always have Ducky in you back pocket, maybe he could've shrunk with you," a voice said as the door opened and in came the boys, led by—

"Dustin?" Kira and Kaylee frowned, exchanging glances.

"You called him?" Kaylee asked as he came over to hug her.

"Nope," Kira shook her head, side-glancing at Conner as he sat down on the sofa beside her. "I was completely against worrying him."

"About that…," Conner chuckled nervously.

"You called him when I wasn't looking, didn't you?" Kira glared, making him rub the back of his neck with even more nervousness. She rolled her eyes, lightly tapping him in the back of the head. "Duh."

"Oh well, he's here now!" Kaylee grinned happily, before frowning. "One second."

_**ZWOP!**_

Green smoke now stood beside Dustin, and the others were happy to notice it was back to normal size.

_**ZWOP!**_

"Squeak!" Ducky exclaimed as the blonde squeezed him, hugging him with one arm and Dustin with the other.

"There, now the sofa's not so scary, and my adventure doesn't suck as much," Kaylee stated, making everyone in the room laugh. "But for the record, if we ever get another shrinking monster, can someone who's not claustrophobic get shrunk?"

"Deal," Kira smiled.

* * *

**Now, for anyone who knows the order of Dino Thunder Episodes, "A Star Is Torn" normally comes after Triassic Triumph, but for the purpose of this story, it's been moved to later on in my series. Also, "A Ranger Exclusive" I opted to remove, and replaced with this, hence the death of the evil white ranger being in this. That's all for now, leave me your thoughts, mmkay? :)**

**On a second note: I realize there aren't that many Kaylee-centric episodes, because I have to make them up, but I'm planning on having one more, again aided by the proposed ideas of John Chubb. So stay tuned for that, as well as christmas in April (if you go 'wtf' its natural, my next update will clear things up.)**


	21. Green Hand Me Downs, Part 1

**Author****'****s Note: **(hides behind angry-no-update-fan-shield) There are not enough words to express how sorry I am for the loooooooooooooong (x20) lack of updates. The X-Men invaded my brain and tied up my DT plotbunny. Poor bugger's been stuck in a closet since July. However, all you wonderful fans who won't kill me (right ;D) may thank LILY HANSON for the biggest ass-kicking of LIFE. It is thanks to her this was written. Seriously, thanks are in order for her (review or PM or I dunno what, but she is AWESOME)

**Dedication: (this three parter will have one dedication per chapter, for special reasons) **Who else but _**Lily Hanson**_!

**Why?** This chapter only exists because of you, Lil. Thanks for kicking my ass into writing whenever Religion Class got boring (which is like…always) as well as being my Kaylee muse and beta. You rock.

* * *

_**Green Hand-Me-Downs, Part 1.**_

Xmeaster. Ever heard of the term?

Probably not. Probably never thought of it, either. Want to know why?

Because it was invented, like, a week ago. By a teenage girl named Kaylee Hanson.

For what purpose?

Ranger holiday, apparently. Why the name?

Well, being that it was Easter weekend, and she felt they'd become so close in their time as Rangers, doing so _after_ Christmas, they needed a Christmas.

So when the other Rangers agreed they could do with a holiday, they also decided it should have a name. Kaylee had suggested "Xmaster", and with an X-men comic book reference from Ethan here, some muttering from Kira there, and contemplating from Trent, Conner suggested Xmeaster.

So here they were, a week later, Easter wee—_**Xmeaster**_ weekend, late that night, at Hayley's Cyberspace. Wrapping paper was scattered and discarded everywhere on the floor, gifts stacked into five different piles.

So far, gifts went as following: Trent had received an Art Set from Kira, a really nice Sketchbook from Kaylee, a disc with Photoshop on it from Ethan, and a Punching Bag from Conner. Ethan had gotten a new video game from Kira, a gift card for Future Shop from Kaylee, a memory stick from Conner, and a free net pass for the Café from Trent. Conner had received a new soccer ball from Ethan (his old one had popped), a soccer DVD from Trent, and a new soccer net from Kaylee. The latter had gotten cookies from Conner (which coincidentally had vanished by now and made her hyper) as well as a fun Karaoke set from Trent, and Kira had received a recording DVD from Ethan and a song writing notebook from Trent.

Exchanges that were left? Kira-Kaylee, as well as Kira-Conner. The former was up first.

"Here," Kaylee grinned, pushing the squishy gift into the dirty blonde's hands.

Kira gratefully accepted the gift, before ripping it open. Man, wrapping paper was nothing against that girl.

In moments, a stuffed cat, all white, was left in her arms, and brought a wide smile to her face. "Aww, Kayl, its awesome!" she exclaimed happily, reaching over to hug her. The boys watched, confused by the childish gift.

"Uh, why'd she get you a stuffed cat?" Conner frowned.

"Uh, because it's my favorite animal, _duh_," Kira chuckled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But her eyes said different, as the sadness reflected in them spoke volumes. She turned back to Kaylee, knowing he'd notice. "I'm going to call her _Angel_."

"Fitting," Ethan laughed. "Seeing as the cat _is_ all white."

"Yeah…," Kira nodded, and again, Conner picked up on a difference. Before he could bring it up, Kira thrust her gift into Kaylee's arms.

"Oh! Oh! I wonder what it could be!" she mused, shaking the gift. "Okay, not breakable 'cuz you're not yelling at me, and no rattling, so I know I'm not getting a baby toy. And I know it's not Dustin, because he's working this weekend, and it's too small. Oh, and…maybe it's another Ducky!"

She squeezed the package to her, and her eyes widened suddenly, as did everyone else's - besides Kira - when the package _farted_.

"What…the…Hell?!" she exclaimed, but not unhappily. She squeezed the package again, and giggled excitedly when the farting sound was repeated. She made it happened again and again and again until the boys became annoyed.

"Kaylee!" they yelled together. "Just open it!"

"Okay, okay, ruin my fun," she muttered, beginning to open the gift slowly.

"You know, it'll still fart when you unwrap it," Kira pointed out.

"Ooh!" Kaylee giggled, ripping off the paper with much more force, uncovering a stuffed monkey. She stared at it in wonder – it looked like an ordinary stuffed monkey.

But then…she hugged it – and it _farted_!

"Oh. My. GOD!" Kaylee shrieked, hugging it with one arm, while launching herself at Kira. Amongst the hugging, the monkey let out little farting noises, and it brought almost everyone to the floor with laughter. "This is the bestest freaking thing _EVER_!"

"Glad you like," Kira smiled softly, leaning back against the front of the sofa, her back hitting Conner's knees. Neither cared to mention it, and just stayed in comfortable silence. Kaylee noticed, and would've said something, but was too busy making her gift fart.

"So, want your gift now, Jockboy?" Kira asked then, craning her neck back to look up at him.

"You got me something? Really?"

"Well, it is a gift exchange; it _would_ be kind of rude to leave you out, wouldn't it?"

"Funny, though," Ethan chuckled, completely ruining the moment. Trent elbowed him.

She dug a small square box out of her bag and handed it up to him, turning around to watch him unwrap it, rather than breaking her neck craning backwards. He made quick work of it, being the teen with Superspeed, after all, and found a little black box.

His eyes widened and he looked up at her, what she knew to be fake shock written on his face.

"Kira…wow…I mean…we're only in high school…and…isn't it my job to…y'know…ask…and…," he stammered, his smirk easily showing beneath his façade. The dirty blonde quickly caught on to his '_pop the question_' reference and whacked him upside the head.

"Just open it you moron," she rolled her eyes.

He did as he was told, and opened the box to first see a guitar pick – which confused him, because he was tone deaf and completely useless when it came to instruments – but then noticed it was attached to a brown leather necklace.

Then, he realized that the pick was shiny, and imprinted on it was a beautifully designed T-Rex, etched onto the surface that was now laminated to keep it as such.

"Wow, Kira…," he breathed, taking it out of the box. "This is amazing."

He ran his fingers over the pick, which was slightly larger than regular size, so as to fit the necklace properly. He then unclipped the end, and ran it around his neck, clipping it back up. It fit snug around his neck, and the pick was a little cold against his skin, which seemed a nice fit.

"This is really nice, Kira," he grinned, and for once it was void of all ego, smartass smirk, and really and truly a smile.

"Uh, g-glad you like it," a soft smile played on her lips. "I uh…tried to make it myself, but, kind of failed. So…I got it made especially."

Kaylee nudged Kira, grinning knowingly, and the hushing glare she was given was enough to make her squeeze her monkey in fear, which of course made it fart, thus ruining the moment.

Conner chuckled as he stood up, which confused the others as he walked away from their little group.

"Uh, dude, where're you going?" Ethan frowned.

"Getting Kira's gift," he smiled, going over to the counter and leaning over it. "There you are."

"A pony!?" Kaylee exclaimed, before bursting with laughter.

"Conner, if you _ever_ give Kaylee cookies again, I will kick your—" she trailed off, seeing what he had just lifted over the counter and began to walk over with. "Con…"

He sat back in his seat, leaning the hard guitar case against his knees with a proud smile. "Well?" he grinned. "Aren't you going to open it?"

She hesitated a moment, because somehow, she didn't want to know what was in there. She hoped it was just a case, with her smaller gift inside, and that it didn't really contain a _guitar_ because…really…why would he buy her something so…expensive?

"Hey, aren't you going to open it?" Kaylee asked, hopping up and down, despite Trent trying to calm her with one hand on her shoulder. "C'mon! Kira, if you don't, I will!"

"Alright, alright," the dirty blonde complied, reaching forward and unclipping the two metal locks, allowing her to swing the case open.

In a completely breathless moment, her fears were realized. "Oh my god…"

"Please, just Conner," the Red Ranger joked, before seeing the look she wore. "You okay?"

Almost against herself, she took the guitar from her case, and set it across her knees. It was a faded yellow shade, acoustic and made of a beautifully treated wood. Each fret that normally had a dot, or a stripe such as 3, 5, 7, 9 and so on had the shape of a silver Pterodactyl.

Naturally, for something like that to occur, it had to be made custom. And Kira, knowing her guitars and music, knew that had to be one _hell_ of a hole in the Red Ranger's pocket.

"Conner this…this is…"

"You don't like it?" he asked fearfully.

"No, I love it, it's amazing," she managed to say, despite the fact that the beautiful gift really was leaving her without words. The others were no better. "It's just…this is too much."

"What?" he frowned. "Why?"

"Conner, it's a _guitar_! These things usually cost loads!"

"Well, I mean, I…," he chuckled a littler nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "My friend owed me a huge favor, and I'm way awesome at negotiating, if that makes you feel any better."

She opened her mouth in obvious protest, and he raised a hand to silence her. "If you don't accept it, I'm going to take that as you not liking me anymore," he smirked.

She frowned a moment, contemplating this, before whacking him on the arm. "That's cheating!" she scolded him playfully, but he kept on grinning.

"But it's working, isn't it?"

She sighed, getting up and placing the guitar back in its case, and then holding out her hand to Conner. He looked up, frowning. "What?"

"C'mon," she urged, shaking her hand for emphasis. "Let's go."

He grabbed her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up, but that didn't stop him from continuing his confusion. "Where?"

"Just…trust me," she grinned, dragging him towards the door.

"Um, guys!" Kaylee called after them, drawing attention yet again by squeezing the monkey. "Where _are_ you going?"

"Evening out the gifts," Kira explained. "It's about time someone learned something people like Tori and Ducky are naturals at."

This statement confused all the boys, but as Kira and Conner disappeared through the doors and left, Kaylee giggled. "It's about time Jockboy learned how to swim."

"WHAT?!" Trent and Ethan yelled.

"She…and then…but he…," Trent stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. Ethan and Kaylee exchanged glances, wearing small smiles. The blonde patted him on the back comfortingly.

"Sorry, Trent, looks like you los—"

The front door slammed open. "Whoa!" Ethan yelled. "What was that?!"

Through the dust and falling glass stepped two figures, and the Rangers groaned.

"Great, it's Emo Barbie and Ken, here to crash Xmeaster," Kaylee whined, seeing Elsa and Zeltrax come in. "If you're lookin for your coal, it's out back!"

"Sorry, but we're looking for you, Green Ranger," Elsa grinned wickedly, taking a step forward, brandishing her sword. "Come with us."

The request brought forth ripples of laughter from the blonde, who nearly fell off the couch. She stood up, straightened, and looked at the two enemies. "Yeah, like I'm really going to go with you. What are you, stupid? You're the enemy! E-N-E-M-Y!"

"Haven't we already talked about this?" Ethan sighed. "Don't give the enemy spelling lessons."

"God, I truly hate these Rangers," Zeltrax muttered, brandishing his glowing sword.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"I'm not going in there!" Conner shouted indignantly, wrapping his arms around the lamppost.

"Con," Kira sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "You're going to have to learn one day or another."

"But, why _now_?"

"Because, you're 18 and you don't know how to swim!" she stated matter-of-factly, looking up at him as he clung to the metal post.

"So?" he frowned.

"So…it's…it's…," she couldn't find an argument to support her point, so she merely sighed, placing a hand on each hip and staring at him intently. "Look, I've been meaning to do this for a while now, which is why I have the key to the pool area of the school, and I'll be damned if we don't go now. I'm making up for the abnormally expensive gift you bought me."

"I told you already, it wasn't bad! I got discounts and everything!"

"Whatever, either we go in and I take the time to teach you, or we go back, and the difference in gifts is paid by my pulling strings for this, and time horribly wasted."

"How much did you pay?" he inquired, scrutinizing her with his gaze.

"And besides," she went on, clearly ignoring the question. "I can't believe someone like _you_ doesn't know how to swim."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Conner, your two favorite things seem to be soccer and girls, right?" she asked, and he nodded, following her so far. "Well, if you knew how to swim, you could go to the beach, where there are _tons_ of girls that would flock to you if you showed off your soccer in the sands. Y'know, girls in bikinis, with—"

"Let's go!" he announced, grabbing her arm and waltzing into the community pool building.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"What do you mean, they want me to find a Zord?!" Kaylee questioned, sitting in the Dino Lab shortly after Dr. O had shown up to help chase off Elsa and Zeltrax and bring the Green, Blue and White Rangers back to base. "That's what they wanna kidnap me for? Why don't they just wait 'til the next time we use the Megazord to kick their butts? Then it'll be in full view!"

"They don't want you to just find _any_ Zord, Kaylee," Tommy explained, pointing to one of the screens he stood before, as Hayley typed away. "They want you to find and unlock one of the very first Zords to ever be created."

Just then, old video feed from the days of _Mighty Morphin'_ came onscreen, and the Rangers watched a morphed Green Ranger beside a huge and towering Dragonzord.

"Green!" Kaylee gasped, before it registered who the Green Ranger had been at that time. "Wait, they want me to find _your_ Zord, Dr. O?"

"It appears so. And both Hayley and I believe it's because of where it is."

Hayley brought up _actual_ feed now, not some from the old Ranger Diary, and on it was a dark and shadowed image, that really did look like a dragon. The screen seemed to waver and ripple, and Kaylee frowned.

"Is your old Zord the Loch Ness Monster?"

"No," Tommy chuckled. "But it is submerged beneath great leagues of water, far in the middle of the ocean. I'm not sure how it got there, since I'm pretty sure when I left it, it was at the harbor in Angel Grove…"

"Tommy, you're rambling," Hayley pointed out, and he snapped out of his odd trance.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, it's very well-hidden, and we believe that Mesogog has discovered this, and plans to use you to unlock it."

"Why, because I can zwop him there and zwop it out or something?" Kaylee inquired, becoming more and more confused. "Doesn't dino-brain know I can't zwop somewhere unless I know what it looks like?"

"What about that time you…teleported to Kira?" Ethan asked, unable after all this time to properly pronounce 'zwop'.

"I still say that was luck of the Irish."

"You're Irish?"

"No, but wouldn't that be cool?" she giggled. "They have awesome accents!"

"And leprechauns," Ethan reminded her, but her face suddenly switched to horror.

"No," she shook her head vigorously. "No leprechauns."

"Why?"

"Because they burned down the hundred acre wood, and wanted to kill me and Winnie the Pooh, and Rabbit, oh and Tigger too!" she rambled, looking dead serious. "And they're EVIL!"

He raised a confused brow at her, totally lost as to why an eighteen-year-old was calling leprechauns evil, and talking about Winnie the Pooh. They knew she was childish but…

"I was four," she grinned, suddenly at ease again. "It was my most hated nightmare."

"Guys," Trent coughed, tapping their shoulders and pointing towards Hayley and Tommy. Although Dr. O was still stuck being morphed, they could tell by the way his arms were crossed and the way he stood that it was time to sober up and listen.

"Right, power talk!" Kaylee exclaimed, standing straight.

"We figure its not because of your teleportation abilities and getting there that Mesogog wants to use you, but more about the nature of your powers. Green powers," Hayley stated.

"My powers are environmentally friendly?" she giggled. "Then how come I leave smoke trails with I Zwop?"

"No. Green," Ethan reached over to pick at her green streak of hair.

"Ohh!"

"Because the Dragonzord was activated b y my Green Coin, he believes, as do we, that your Green Dino Gem will act the same," Tommy explained.

"So, what, Mesogog plans on taking me out to the ocean, to see if my gem will make some Dinozord jump from the water like a fish?" Kaylee asked, but regretted it as soon as she saw Hayley's face fall. She suspected Tommy looked the same, were it not for his ability to hide behind his ever present Ranger mask. "If you're about to say he plans to dump me in the ocean as some random sacrifice to see if I sink to the Dragonzord and activate it—don't. I've already almost drowned once and I am _**not**_ reliving that! Least not without Ducky or Tor."

"It's nothing that involves being thrown into the ocean," Hayley relieved her. "It's more like—time."

"Exsqueeze me?" Kaylee frowned, wearing the same shocked expression as Trent. Ethan, however, was pensive.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"See, it's not so hard, is it?" Kira smiled as she guided Conner through the empty pool, holding just his elbow. They'd been here an hour and a half already, and he'd done very well – despite her having to push him in after thirty minutes of coaxing and prodding.

"Guess not," he nodded, and she allowed him to pull away from her grasp to swim around on his own a bit. He did small circles around her, on his back, with his feet kicking slowly at the water. "So, can I ask you something?"

"You just did," she smirked.

He glanced up as he slowly swam by and chuckled, sending ripples through the water that barely covered his chest. "You've been spending too much time around me."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "But go on."

"How come you decided to teach me? I mean, isn't just part of your kicks to watch me fail at things?" he inquired, and winced as a look of hurt crossed her face. "Wait, no, that didn't come out right. I uh…I meant…"

"I know what you meant," she snapped slightly, before sighing. "Look, I know I haven't been the most agreeable person to be around since we've been Rangers, and I'm sorry for that. I'm just…not used to having such close friends like you, Ethan, Kaylee and Trent."

"Yeah, I figured," he nodded, sighing as well. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, before her cheeks turned a bit pink. "That's actually why."

"Huh?" he frowned. "You decided to teach me because you've got close friends?"

"I decided to teach you because, in the couple of months we've been Rangers, we've gotten a lot closer as friends, you and I," she began. "And, you've stuck with me despite our constant arguing, and my sometimes harsh words, and you've listened when I've had troubles. Because of you and the others…I've changed a lot. I'm not as closed off from the world anymore. And I guess I wanted to return that somehow, so this was just kinda how I figured I could…and let's not forget the pricy gift…"

"Oh…well…then…thanks," he grinned, swimming over to hug her slightly. He pulled back, and her grin had become more of an amused smirk. "What?"

"I'm not the only one that's changed, you know. You're not the totally stuck up jock you were when we got pulled into the Ranger business. Now, you're just a _mildly_ stuck up jock."

"Heh," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks…I think. But yeah, you guys have had a pretty damn good influence on me, and I thank you for it. Just like, I thank you for this Kira. I've…no one's really ever…I mean I…"

"Don't get sappy on me now Jockboy," she laughed, splashing him with water.

"Hey!" he smiled, and she splashed him again. "That's it Rockstar, you're in for it now!"

He splashed her back, and she took off swimming away from him – although not that fast. He grinned, splashed forward, and followed because, hey, there was only so much room she could back up before the pool ended and then, she'd be in big trouble…

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"Kaylee, when you were hit with Shrigger's laser attack last week, it accelerated your powers, right?" Tommy questioned.

"If you call being the size of a tennis ball, scared out of your wits, afraid and alone 'accelerating my powers', then yes."

"It opened a new facet of your powers, didn't it?"

"I don't know, I just thought it was the shrink ray's fault. I didn't think I could do it myself."

"Have you tried?" All eyes turned to the blonde, and she gave a little nervous laugh.

"Um…," she remembered how freaked she'd been, and how afraid she had been stuck in the darkness of the sofa cushions. Ethan and Trent caught the look, and turned to the two adults."

"You're not going to make her try, are you?" Ethan asked for her. Tommy was then able to notice the scared look on the Green Ranger's face, and shook his head.

"No," he smiled, and they could hear it in his voice. "But I do have a request, Kaylee…how do you feel about time travel?"

It took her a moment to answer, but when she did, she was amazed. "Awesome…"

"D'you think she could?" Trent asked.

"We think so, maybe. And it appears Mesogog is certain. We believe he wants you to go back into the past and make sure the Dragonzord is in a better and more accessible place."

"Why can't he do it himself? With his stupid portals?"

"Because of your powers and the gem."

"And his portal network," Trent added, using knowledge from having been one of the bad guys. "It's an artificial network set up in the city alone, and to his fortress. It doesn't work quite like work powers do."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Ethan asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure that I know. The readings we got off the Dragonzord's location show us that its much too far underwater for you to teleport to. We could build you a device to help you get to the Dragonzord, but the underwater pressure could crush you before you'd be able to fully activate it."

"Great," she muttered. "So either Mesogog kidnaps me and throws me into the seat to resurrect a giant robot, or I get crushed to death trying to get it myself."

"So you dir, or you die," Trent stated the obvious making Kaylee glare.

"And that," Hayley grinned, walking over to something covered in a sheet on the lab table, "is why I think ahead."

There on the table was a large machine strapped to what looked like a vest. Beside it were two small devices, both of which were wired to a big green button.

"Button!" Kaylee grinned.

"These are what you're going to place in it to teleport it from the water," Hayley explained.

"I thought the water pressure could, y'know," she made one hand splat against the other.

"Well, that's why we have this," Hayley told her, patting the vest-machine. "It's not finished, but if Ethan helps me I think it can be done for tomorrow."

"What's it do?"

"It's going to accelerate your powers enough for one there-and-back jump through time."

"You are now, like, my heroes," she hopped up and down. "I can go see a zwopload of history! OH! And I'm _**so**_ asking Einstein if butter conducts electricity!"

"You do realize you're not going _**that**_ far back, right?" Ethan chuckled, making her shoulders droop.

"You suck."

"What time is she going to then?" Trent frowned.

"Let's just say I was a little more green than black," Tommy said.

"And you had a little more hair," Hayley teased.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

_**

* * *

ZWOP!**_

Kaylee grinned, looking around the empty Cyberspace. She'd guessed right—they weren't back yet. She glanced at the couches, where they'd been exchanging gifts. After Tommy had shown up to help chase away Emo Barbie and Ken, the four of them had hidden the gifts in the back safe.

And now, to set the "trap".

She took the small green-leafed plant in her hand, reaching towards the doorway from which they'd enter. If they were in the Christmas spirit (or half-spirit), she may as well hang something Christmas-y.

Only problem?

"Stupid doorway," the blonde glared upwards, unable to hang the mistletoe. Then, a little light went off in her head, making her grin.

_**ZWOP!**_

She clipped the mistletoe to the doorframe and—

_**ZWOP!**_

Back on her feet, Kaylee giggled, wobbly. "Whoa…," she straightened, breaking into a large smile. "Take that, shortn—aw crap, they're here!"

For fear they'd see the green smoke she left behind when 'porting, Kaylee booked it, diving in behind the counter to hide. Seconds later, the door opened and in came Kira and Conner, laughing and smiling.

"Oh-my-god," Kira wheezed between laughs, nearly doubling over. "I can't believe you told the janitor that!"

"What was I supposed to say? 'Kira dared me to streak down the hall?'" Conner chuckled, closing the door behind them. "No way. So he got an excuse."

"And 'I'm looking for my lost swim trunks' was _much_ less embarrassing for you?"

Conner nodded, laughing, and his eyes drifted upwards in the motion—he froze. "Heh, don't remember that being there."

"Huh, Con, what are you—," Kira bit back her words when she followed his gaze, spotting the mistletoe. "Oh."

"Someone took the Christmas half of Xmeaster all the way, eh?"

"No doubt Kaylee playing a joke." Shrugging, Kira turned away, headed for the couches. But a light touch on her wrist stopped her. "Yes, Conner?"

"Where's _your_ Christmas spirit, Kira?"

Eyes wide as his words registered, she turned, staring up at him. "Did you just…"

He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, daring her to say it. But she never backed down from a challenge, and so she merely rolled her eyes. "Con, it's just Kaylee playing a joke. There's no need to be serious about it. Not that you ever _are_."

"I'll ignore the sting that brought up, and instead tell you one simple thing," he stated, pointing to his face. "See this face? This is me—being totally serious."

She blinked a moment, wondering if he was leading her on, or actually being _serious_. She contemplated laughing. She contemplated turning and running away. But above all else, it seems her instincts failed, and she stayed put, not moving as he took a step towards her.

"C'mon, Jockboy, it's just a silly holiday tradition."

"I think Kaylee would be hurt if she heard you say that," he told her, unaware that a few feet away, Kaylee was anything but hurt, seeing her two friends standing oh-so-close under the mistletoe.

"And I think you're nuts to believe in such a stupid thing."

"Nervous because you've never had a mistletoe kiss before?" he smirked in his trademark way, wrapping a tentative arm around her waist.

"No."

"Prove it," his grin was only getting worse, seriously.

"Conner, you have got to be kid—"

No other words made it out of Kira's mouth; since it was covered by Conner's quicker than you could say "mistletoe". The devious Kaylee had to keep from squealing, covering her mouth and ducking down as far as possible.

Kira tried in vain to ignore how her heart soared, or how her pulse quickened, but she soon found that any and all objections to this "silly tradition" were suddenly turned into jumbled words that made no sense, and that instead were telling her to stay.

His arms wrapped tighter around her waist, and her hands found the back of his neck, and a simple mistletoe kiss turned into much more between yellow and red, there in the doorway of Cyberspace on the late evening of one _Xmeaster_.

OMFG. That's pretty much all I can say. WTF is this ending I have created? WTF am I doing? Am I resolving the Kironner tension? Am I changing things? Stay tuned (because this time I'm really back on track, people!) for the next chapter "Green Hand-Me-Downs, Part Two".


	22. Green Hand Me Downs, Part 2

**Author****'****s Note:** Right, so, **Lily** went about posting Operation Overdrive. (sigh) Which, as many times as I've read it before, I went to read it again. And a couple things spurned this motivational update. One – reading Kaylee again. Two – seeing your guys review her story and be so happy that Kaylee has returned. And Three – the interest you guys took in the mention of Mystic Force, which is chronologically set after this story. So…lookie here, I've got motivation!

**Dedication: **Naturally, the **Reviewers and Readers** of my and Lily's Kaylee series.

**Why?** For waiting so gosh darn long for my off-update time, and keeping your faith in me (I do hope) through occasional reviews and PM's. Thank you guys!

* * *

_Green Hand-Me-Downs, Part 2._

Kira pulled away, hatefully cursing herself for allowing it to happen. Her mouth hung open, and a soft 'wow' escaped her lips.

"Wow, huh?" he grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist again.

"No, not that kinda wow, Conner," she struggled against his grip, making him frown. "Wow as in, '_wow, I actually just let that happen_'."

"What?" his frowned increased. "But I thought we—"

"Mistletoe, Christmas spirit or tradition or whatever."

"Christmas spirit or tradition? Kira, it's not even Christmas!"

Neither noticed the angry gasp from behind the counter. "How dare he!" Kaylee whispered to herself, poking her eyes up above the counter to glare at the back of his head. "After I almost plummeted to my death hanging that mistletoe for them!"

"But you said—"

He moved towards her, wrapping both arms around her waist so fast she might've accused him using his Superspeed if it weren't for the lack of the tell-tale red streak.

"Kira, c'mon, I used the Christmas spirit thing as an excuse—a trigger. I wasn't sure you'd let me kiss you if I said it was because I **wanted** to."

"You…wanted to…kiss…_**me**_?"

"I thought I was supposed to be the idiot present," he chuckled, leaning forward. "Please, you can't tell me you haven't noticed the flirting, the chemistry between us."

Her defiant silence was enough of an answer for him.

"You have, I know it. This mistletoe thing is just luck helping me get on with something I've wanted to say for a while now."

"You're welcome," Kaylee grinned behind the counter, in a good mood again.

"I know there's something between us, Kira, and it's gone unanswered for far too long. I realize I'm not the smartest guy, or the most focused, or…artistic," he stated, gaining bitterness in his voice. "Basically, I'm not _**Trent**_, but—"

"I don't…well…that's over, you know that."

"Which is why I haven't been hating on the guy in awhile, in case you hadn't noticed," he grinned—she _**had**_. "I figure he's not competition anymore."

"Conner," she started, her eyes dropping. "It's not that simple."

"What?" his heart leapt to his throat—he did **not** like that tone.

"You…we…this thing between us…this _chemistry_…you realize when it started, right?" she looked up with sad eyes.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Not really…I mean I noticed…well…it's just that…um, _help_?"

"It started sometime after we became Rangers," she filled in for him, and then waited for this to click in. Seeing that it didn't, she went on. "It started _because_ we became Rangers."

"And?"

She pulled away, anger rising within her. "And? Don't you see, Conner? Being Rangers is the only reason we associate with one another. Before all this—before any of this Ranger stuff—I was Reefside's freak and you were king jock. Polar ends of the world, back when you wouldn't give me the time of day."

"That's not true," he rebuked.

"Yes, it is. Do you have any idea how long we've been in the same school together, Conner? In the same classes?"

"Uh…a couple years?"

"Try eight, since I moved here in the fourth grade. Since then, I've had at least _one_ class with you. In elementary, who really cared. But I've been in nearly all of your classes since the ninth grade, known as nothing more than a social outcast to your band of friends."

"And, what does that change how I feel? What does that change what's between us?"

"Everything. Because the only reason there's anything there, is due to the fluke of us becoming rangers. Because we were too curious for our own good and found those gems. If we hadn't, we wouldn't even think of associating with one another, and you _certainly_ wouldn't care about me."

"That's not true."

"It is, and you know it."

"Why does it matter? So, I _might_ not have fallen for you if we hadn't become Rangers. So, we _might_ not have been this close if we hadn't found those gems. So what? Does that mean I can't like you? Does that mean we can't be together? Because of something that's outside our control?"

"It isn't that simple, Con," she sighed. "Haven't you thought how of things would change?"

"You mean how I'd be able to tell you how I feel, or hold you, or _kiss you_, in public, without fear of embarrassing myself?" he chuckled, but it died when he saw she wasn't amused.

"No…I mean…what about being Rangers? Do you realize how much jeopardy that would put us in? Think about it. Think about the target that would paint on our heads."

"What do you mean?"

"If Mesogog and his sidekicks found out that we...that we were…they'd us it against us. Use me against you, or you against me. They'd play on our feelings, Conner. It'd be so dangerous. It could screw up _everything_."

"I…," as much as he hated to admit it—he knew she was right. He knew that as long as they were Rangers, it was dangerous to be together. It wasn't _simple_ at all. He knew that if they were together, and something happened to Kira—he'd freak. And that would be the last thing the team needed from their leader.

With a heavy sigh, he nodded slowly. "I know…"

Relief washed over her face, mixed with uttermost remorse. "I'm not saying…I'm not saying forever, Conner. But…being Rangers—"

"We can't…I get it. If we weren't Rangers…if we didn't have the weight of saving the world on our shoulders, it would be simpler, wouldn't it? That's why…with Trent…"

"Before he became the White Ranger," she nodded. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

She reached over to hold one of his hands within hers. "I…I never wanted to approach the subject because I knew it would be like this. I knew it would hurt. I'm sorry."

"I brought it up—it's my fault. As hard as it is—I understand. I'm not saying I like it, but I understand."

Pushing onto the tips of her toes, Kira leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, and it was then he noticed the tears glistening in her eyes. She was hurting—just as much as he was. "I…I have to get home," she sighed. "Or else mum'll be worried sick."

She turned to go, letting his hand slip from hers only when she could no longer reach. One hand on the door, she paused when he called her name.

"I…I don't want things to change," he pleaded. "I know…they'll be awkward because of what we know now but…don't treat me any different than you did before today, alright, Rockstar?"

At the use of the nickname, she smiled softly. "I'll do my best, Jockboy."

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"So, this'll work, right?" Kaylee worried aloud as Hayley and Ethan finished strapping the time-travel vest to her the next morning. "It's not gonna split me in half, right? Or include side-effects like nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea and loss of limb?"

Everyone paled, blinking repeatedly in her direction. Ethan was the first to speak up.

"I'm not sure if I'm more afraid by her mimicry of a Pepto Bismol commercial, or how she added loss of limb to it."

"Yay, Pepto Bismol!" Kaylee grinned, striking a pose.

"Yep, definitely the commercial mimicry," he sighed, shaking his head. As happy and positive as the Green Ranger appeared, she was frustrated. Frustrated with two of her friends, who stood not far away, talking with Dr.O and Trent, and keeping a fair distance between one another.

Ethan followed her gaze, and sighed. "Kayl, c'mon, stop worrying about it. They'll resolve this issue like they have all the others."

"Ethan, you weren't there. You didn't _hear_ them. They…it totally sounded like my plan had worked!" she hissed, having told him prior to zwopping over to Cyberspace the previous evening what she planned. "And then…they turned around and zwopped it up! The Hell!"

"Look, as annoying as it is that they're gonna be hot and cold with each other for a while, you have to focus on the task at hand, here. You remember the plan?"

"Step One – find Dragonzord. Step Two – Stick fugly little time box button thing inside Dragonzord. Step Three – come home. And most importantly," she mimicked Dr. O's voice as she finished. "Do **not** be seen. Do **not** draw attention. And do **not—**"

"Make fun of me," he finished, walking over. Kaylee grinned sheepishly, waving her hands in surrender. The others chuckled, but it was quickly broken by the distant roar of Tyrannodrones.

"Uh-oh, time to go," Hayley stated, disconnecting the final cables tying Kaylee's vest to the power booster sitting in the grass. "When you're done what you've got to do, you press the button, and it'll bring you back."

"Um, back where, exactly?"

"To this machine."

Kaylee nodded weakly, turning to look at her four Ranger friends. Her eyes narrowed. "You better not let anything happen to that machine. It was one thing being stuck as a little mini-me. It's another thing completely being stuck at a time where Dr. O's still in high school!"

"With way too much hair," Kira added.

"And wearing your color," Ethan prompted.

"And a _serious_ lack of style, dude," Conner finished.

"I'm right here you know!"

"Oh! OH!" Kaylee began hopping lightly, excitement washing over her face. "You know what I just realized? 2004 minus 1993 is eleven years, which means eighteen minus eleven is seven which means where I'm going; I'm a cute little seven-year-old! Sweet!"

"Uh, Kaylee—" Hayley began, to no avail.

"Which means Tori was a pudgy little eight-year-old who had to deal with my constant pain-in-the-ass questions. You know that was my favorite year? It was my 'why' year. God, I must've been _so_ annoying. I wonder if she pulled her hair out in frustration. I'll go check! Yeah! And I could meet little me and deliver untold torture upon Tori!"

"Kaylee—" Dr. O tried, but he too was left ignored.

"She'd go mad, seeing _**two**_ me's! Oh this is great, I can't wait to—"

"KAYLEE!" the two adults shouted together, causing Kaylee to stop and blink at them.

"Yes?"

"_**No altering the past by meeting yourself or anyone else!**_"

"Aww, man," Kaylee frowned, kicking a rock. "You guys are such fun-suckers."

"Well, sorry to join the fun-sucking club, but those Tyrannodrones sound like they're getting closer," Kira revealed, the tell-tale hum of the drones indeed sounding louder. She swiftly hugged the blonde, who made a large sniffling nose, stepping back. "Good luck, Kay."

"Good luck, guys," the Green Ranger nodded, watching as her friends stood together in a defensive line, morphing. Hayley and Kaylee were the only ones left unmorphed, as one final time, the redhead instructed the blonde how to use the machine. She set the clock on the front to September – 1993.

"Ready?" she asked warmly.

"No," Kaylee revealed. "But I've got no choice."

"Alright," Hayley stepped back. "Good Luck, sweetie."

Kaylee screwed her eyes shut. She knew she didn't have to see a place in her head like normal—not that she knew what to look for, anyway. The timer on the machine would do everything for her. All she had to do was thing of Angel Grove and zwop—

_**Zwoom!**_

There was a giant flash of green light, and a cloud of green smoke descended upon the team, rolling around their ankles. It flowed outwards—just as a horde of Tyrannodrones came through the trees. At the top of the hill stood Elsa and Zeltrax, sadistic smiles etched onto their features (well, not Zeltrax, because…he's special).

"You know what we're here for!" Elsa screamed down at the drones. "Bring me that machine, and maybe I'll spare your pathetic lives!"

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

A large cloud of smoke descended upon Angel Grove about midday on September 27th of 1993, and unbeknownst to the town, a girl stood amidst the mass as it took to ground in the forest. A girl who came here with a purpose, a mission, a—

"Whoa," Kaylee wobbled on her feet as she landed, coughing and waiting for her green cloud to disappear. Suddenly, her face matched her favorite color and she ducked to the nearest tree, bending over.

—a _serious_ need for Pepto Bismol.

Once she recovered from her spell, Kaylee stood up, taking in her surroundings. She wrinkled her nose. "This forest looks just like where I left. Minus the friends and Emo Barbie and Ken and the creepy monsters. The Hell?"

Then, a realization took over, and as her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open. "Did I just _**ZWOOM**_? That is the _coolest_ ever! Now, I zwoom, zwop—" she teleported a few feet, grinning. "And zwi—uh…yeah, not trying that one again."

Remembering that she was here to actually _accomplish_ something, she turned serious, looking around. "Okay, this should be easy. All I've got to do is track down my sixteen-year-old teacher, jack his Zord, install this device where he won't find it, and go home again. Oh, and do all of the above without being seen."

With a mischievous smile, the Green Ranger ninja-streaked around a few trees, before ending where she teleported in. "Hehe, I'm a ninja, _stealth_ is my middle name!"

She looked around, seeing only forest. "But…I have no idea where to go," she sighed, realizing her task was _much_ harder than she thought. With a groan, she took off walking.

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

Very soon, the sounds of fighting reached Kaylee's ears. Grinning, she ran off, darting in between trees and using her ninja abilities. Careful not to jostle the vest, or disrupt the small box safely tucked away beneath it, she made a beeline for an area where the trees looked thinner and where the sounds were coming from.

Remembering her promise to remain unseen, she chose a sturdy looking branch in a nearby tree and—

_**ZWOP!**_

Looping her arm around the trunk, the Green Ranger found herself looking three leaves into a sandy clearing, where this era's Green Ranger was duking it out against several Tyrannodrone-equivalents.

She watched as sixteen-year-old Tommy Oliver was kicked to the ground by a large golden monster just joining the fight, who then attempted to smash the Ranger's skull.

"And there goes the future Doctor—who I still can't believe actually _is_ a Doctor—standing up and heading for this weird white pedestal thing with some shiny things on it. He goes for what appears to be a Dagger and—Ohh, he's getting electrocuted!" Kaylee quickly adopted a commentator's voice for the battle, finding this much more amusing than she should.

Although he had been jolted by power overflowing on the pedestal, Tommy recoiled—Dagger in hand. He stood up, smiling beneath his mask, and brought the Dagger to his mask. "Dragon Dagger!" Kaylee heard him yell, the voice much lighter than she was used to. A tune began to flow from the object in his hands, and Kaylee frowned.

"That's…a Dagger? But…music…huh?"

Tommy's yells to the sky brought Kaylee back to her mission: "I call on the power of the Dragonzord!"

A loud rumbling echoed across the forest, followed by a Godzilla-like roar. Over the hills came a large Zord, towering in height and massive in size. Green colored overall, save for the flashing red nodes on its front, the Dragonzord lumbered into view.

Grinning, Kaylee took a photo out of her pocket—one that Tommy had given her before Hayley and Ethan had begun strapping on the time-travel vest. It was an old picture, tattered and with a corner missing—and it depicted the interior of the Dragonzord, with a helmetless Green and Pink Ranger smiling and laughing.

Kaylee wrinkled her nose. "That better not have been taken today," she muttered, before closing her eyes and picturing the crawlspace in the background of the photograph.

_**ZWOP!**_

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and found herself staring through an air vent at the great Tommy Oliver, gloved hands spread on the controls of the Dragonzord. Her green smoke drifted out of the vent, and she waved her hand, hoping it dissipated before reaching anywhere he would see.

"Alright, one more time, old friend," Tommy spoke to his Zord, aiming lasers for the oncoming threat of Scorpina and Goldar. As much as Kaylee remembered she had a mission to accomplish, feeling the rush of the towering Zord as it battled the two monsters, and watching Tommy bask in his regained powers.

For a few minutes, the Dragonzord delivered as much damage as it was dealt, but a combined hit from both Scorpina and Goldar together rocked the Zord, causing sparks to blow on several control panels inside. Tommy cursed, and Kaylee silently agreed—they needed help.

"I've gotta get to the rest of the Power Coins," Tommy breathed. "I can't do this alone."

"I'll help…," Kaylee whispered, part of her wishing she could. How cool would it be to battle alongside your future mentor? But no, she'd promised. No messing around with time.

Thinking quickly, she turned in the vent, ignoring the tight walls as best she could by picturing Ducky in her mind, and uncovered the small device inside her vest. Remembering Hayley's instructions, she unclasped three cables wired to suction cups and used them to tightly strap down the machine at the back of the vent, where it would be safely hidden.

Then, she grinned, taking a marker out of her inside pocket. When none of the other Rangers had been looking, she'd snagged it from Hayley's white board—the place where all her time travel calculations were written.

Hoping this marker would last so she could see it eleven years from now, she scribbled a few words down, pocketing the marker when she was down. "I am _so_ awesome."

Then, she turned, taking a deep breath—which turned out to be her mistake, because there was quite a lot of dust in this vent. "Ah…Ah…ATCHOO!"

At the Dragonzord console, Tommy straightened up, confusion etched onto the face beneath the mask. Slowly, he turned. "Was that…a sneeze?"

"Uh oh," Kaylee's eyes widened, and it only got worse when curious Tommy Oliver, original Green Ranger, began taking steps towards her vent. "Stupid smart guy. Okay, breathe Ka—actually, no, that's what made you sneeze. Okay, think…think…think—"

She screwed her eyes shut, thinking hard of the last place she'd been, just as the Dragonzord was pummeled with a few more laser shots.

_**ZWOP!**_

As the Zord rocked on its feet again and a few sparks erupted above his head, Tommy stopped moving, watching as green piled out of the air vent a few feet away. "Ew, didn't know the Dragonzord had that kinda stuff in his wiring."

Forgetting about the sneeze, he turned back, seeking the battle at hand.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

_**

* * *

ZWOP!**_

"I was _so_ almost dead there!" Kaylee exclaimed, landing in the middle of the forest a handful of zwops and several minutes later. She would have returned to her tree after fleeing the Zord, but since that's where he was headed with a giant Zord, she didn't feel like being pancaked.

"I'm totally telling Dr. O he was too curious for his own good when he was young. Seriously, Zord battle going on and he picks to look for a sneeze!"

"You two _fools_ left that place unguarded!"

Kaylee frowned, a high-pitched screeched reaching her ears and causing her to flinch. "The Hell?" she hissed, looking around.

"Rita, please, we were busy attempting to stop the Green—"

"You're telling me you two pathetic idiots couldn't handle _one_ Ranger! MY RANGER!"

Kaylee narrowed her eyes, figuring out not only who was having a hissy fit, but where she was. Cautiously, she snuck through the trees and bushes, using her ninja training. In no time, she found villains Rita Repulsa, Goldar and Scorpina near the small sandy clearing from earlier, standing beside an empty white pedestal.

"Rita, please, we didn't—" Goldar tried.

"Get out of my sight!" she shrieked, and both henchmen took a step back. Goldar bowed his head slightly before vanishing, but Scorpina stayed put, sniffing at the air.

"Rita, I think I smell a R—"

"GO!" her bird-screech reached epic proportions, and Kaylee had to cover her ears it was so bad. Scorpina wrinkled her nose, before vanishing.

"Stupid helium woman, she's gonna make my eardrums blow up!" Kaylee whispered bitterly, glaring at Rita. "And she made the very first Green Ranger evil…she _so_ has to pay."

She nearly stood up, fingers touching her Dino Gem Bracelet that had been glowing since she'd arrived in '93, but paused, remembering yet again her promise. Dropping back to her knees, the blonde glowered. "No fun…"

Then, she seemed to remember she had a magic marker in her pocket—and the tell-tale evil grin spread across her lips like wildfire. Hoping that the evil space witch would stay there a few moments, she ninja-streaked back out of the forest, heading for a line of houses.

She quickly found one that was open, and darted inside, nothing but blur of green, finding paper within seconds. She zoomed back as fast as she could. She would've teleported, were she not worried about A- leaving an odd green cloud for people to find and B- alerting Rita with her ZWOP noise when she arrived.

A rush of wind was much better than a cloud of green smoke, as she'd learned many times when trying to prank her Dino Thunder friends (except Conner, because, well…he was faster than her on any day).

Stopping in her bush again, Kaylee scribbled on the paper with her marker, sending furtive glances up at Rita, who was nearby still, throwing a fit in front of a few Putties. Kaylee grinned, realizing how fun and easy this would be.

She ninja-streaked over, tucked the edge of the paper beneath Rita's cape…thing…and ninja-streaked back into hiding, all the while holding in a fit of giggles. Kaylee stared at her masterpiece, moving in tandem with the woman it was attached to.

_I MADE THE GREEN RANGER EVIL. KICK ME._

"There, that'll teach her to give Green Rangers a bad name," Kaylee stated, her Dino Gem Bracelet going off and telling her it was time to go home—before her suit lost power and she got stuck there for real. "As much as I wanted to go spy on mini-Kaylee and mini-Tori, time to get home to good ol' 2004."

She stood up straight, taking cover behind a thick enough tree, and fired up her vest, causing it to light up, and open the latch on the large button in the center panel. Kaylee grinned. "Hurray for buttons!"

Slamming her hand down on it, she closed her eyes, thinking only of home. She knew her teleport wouldn't take her there, but it was nice to know what awaited her.

_**ZWOOM!**_

In the massive cloud of green that followed, a woman descended from her tree, her scorpion attire destroying bark as she did. Eyes narrowed, she glared at the green smoke. She had heard the girl's words—_Kaylee…Tori…2004…Green Ranger…_

She was going to track down that girl, and make her wish she'd never made a fool of Rita Repulsa with a _kick me_ sign…

* * *

**Author's Checklist:**

**Step One - **get off my lazy ass and write: _Complete._  
**Step Two - **dash the hope of my Kironner fans: _Complete....for now (don't worry, I still have some of the season left to have things come around). _  
**Step Three - **have Kaylee have one hell of a kick-ass time-travel ride: _Complete. _  
**BONUS:** Kaylee gains an enemy who has vowed to seek revenge upon her--_WHOO!_

**Double Bonus:** Have readers like it....

Weeeeeeell, readers, you tell me? How was Kaylee's time-travel adventure for you? I know it was short, but she can't mess with time. Hopefully, previews benefit reviews if I can. Also, cookies to whoever can name the episode of Mighty Morphin' used. :D


	23. Green Hand Me Downs, Part 3

**Dedication: **The third and final chapter dedication goes out to author **John Chubb**.

**Why?** Without his clever ideas, this awesome Dragonzord story arc would not be possible, nor would it ever have been created, because Lily and I certainly wouldn't have thought of it. Thanks, John!

* * *

Green Hand-Me-Downs, Part 3.

_**ZWOOM!**_

Giggling as she arrived back in 2004, Kaylee wobbled a bit, knees feeling like jelly. Slowly, she opened her eyes, wondering what she'd find. Relief washed over her when she recognized the familiar base.

"Phew," she sighed. "No one kidnapped my zwoom machine."

But then, she frowned, looking around the empty lair. "Where is everyone? Wait…they left my zwoom machine _unguarded!_ How dare they!"

"Sorry, we were a bit busy trying to track down our missing Ranger," someone stated, and Kaylee brightened, springing towards the voice and attacking the owner with a hug.

"Whoa, okay, hello to you too, Kayl," Kira laughed, patting the blonde on the back. Stepping back, she asked: "So, how was time-traveling?"

"It was freaking amazing!" she began hopping up and down excitedly. "Guess what? Guess what! My time travel sound is ZWOOM! Oh, and I saw Tommy when he was a Ranger and watched him kick butt, and was in the Dragonzord **during** a fight and sneezed and almost got caught and made fun of the bad guys!"

"First, breathe," Kira laughed, placing her hands on Kaylee's shoulders. "Second, through all this, did you remember to actually **accomplish** your mission?"

"Of course I did! What do you take me fo—wait, _**missing Ranger?!**__"_ Kaylee yelled, her reaction quite a bit delayed.

"Uhhh…yeah. During the battle with Zeltrax, Elsa and the T-drones, Dr. O kinda…poofed?"

"Did he zwop? Cuz taking my color is one thing, but thieving my power…ohh, he's dead!"

"No. We think he got kidnapped. Because there was this flash of light and then he was gone."

"Was it an invisiportal? Y'know, from meso-brain."

"Not sure. Trent and Ethan went to check out the base, but since they haven't radioed back, my guess is they haven't found anything."

"Oh…" And then, because she was Kaylee, her began to wander. "So, how long was I—ohhh, my gift!"

_**ZWOP!**_

Kira counted to ten.

_**ZWOP!**_

She was met not only with the green smoke from Kaylee's 'porting, but also a loud farting noise.

"Jeez, Kayl, ya couldn't have done that where you zwopped to?" Kira wrinkled her nose in disgust, but her half-smile betrayed her.

"Not me!" Kaylee exclaimed, shoving her stuffed monkey in the Yellow Ranger's face.

Laughing, Kira mumbled something about regretting her purchase, her statement muffled by the fluffy creature. For their childish moment, both were able to put aside the worry of their problems…a missing mentor…conflicted feelings…the weight of a mission.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"Comfortable, Green Ranger?" she sneered, making sure the straps tying him down were _**extra**_ tight and uncomfortable.

"How are you here?" Tommy frowned. "The wave of positive energy from Zordon should've nullified your evil. Just like Rita."

"Pfft, my smaller form was a size good enough to hide away beneath a couple rocks and shield myself from the wave. Pie, really."

"So you abandon your master and friends? That's low."

"I seem to remember a time that you, too, abandoned your fellow Rangers. Or have you forgotten you were only ever a Ranger because of us? Because of Rita?"

"This isn't about me. It's about you."

"Quite the contrary, Green Ranger," she hissed, an image of a blonde coming up on the screen behind her. The teenage girl had a green streak through her hair, and a cheery demeanor. "It's about your successor, Kaylee Hanson."

The screen then shifted to the scene of the Dino Base, complete with Green and Yellow Rangers sitting together, deep in conversation.

"Is that…how did you…"

"Quiet down, Oliver, I've got some business to speak of with dear Kaylee."

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"So then I said that I needed things to be simple, y'know?" Kira sighed. "I know you and Dustin managed it…being Rangers and all but…I just don't know if I can—"

"Kaylee Hanson!!" a woman screeched, and the two stopped their conversation, looking around the room for the source. Kaylee's eyes widened and she frowned, looking at the ceiling.

"Mom?"

Kira spotted the intrusion first, tapping Kaylee's shoulder and pointing at the computer screen.

The blonde turned—and screamed.

"GIANT BUG HEAD!" she dove into a space behind Kira, hiding.

"She _cowers_?" the bug woman cackled. "Look at your grand successor, Green Ranger. Look how she cowers at the face of evil!"

"With a face like that? I don't blame her," Kira muttered.

Kaylee poked out from behind her, squinting at the screen. "The Hell? I know you! You were with the kick-me woman and golden dude! You're that Scorpiana lady!"

"_Scorpina_," she hissed, baring her teeth in anger. "And that 'kick-me woman' was my great leader, whom you humiliated!"

"With my kick-me sign? Really? Kaylee asked, leaning out more in her excitement.

"You put a kick-me sign on Rita Repulsa's back?" Kira questioned, hiding her laughter.

"I couldn't help myself. She gave the Green Ranger a bad name!"

"And because you 'couldn't help yourself' I've made it my goal to find you, and make you suffer.," Scorpina exclaimed, proud of herself.

"Tori won't let that happen, or Dustin, or Ducky."

"Or me," Kira added.

"Or her," Kaylee went on. "Ducky'll quack long before you can touch me. Also, it took you _**eleven years**_ to complete this goal? Loser!"

"All I had was your first name, and this 'Tori' of whom you speak, and that you were green. Do you know how difficult it is to track down a child with that? Or to make sure it's the right one?"

"Eleven years!" Kaylee laughed.

"Once your entered the Ranger scene with the Ninja Rangers last year, all I had to do was wait. Your death was my delight, but—"

"You **died**?" Kira glared. Clearly she had not heard the full story.

"Uh, it's a long story involving me powers—other than zwopping—and the gem of souls, and a team-up with Wild Force where I saved this Alyssa girl."

"You. Me. Talk. Later," Kira vowed, and Kaylee gulped, knowing she was in for it. A loud throat clearing drew their attention back to the screen.

"Are you _**quite**_ finished?!" Scorpina yelled. "I wasn't done. I thought my work was over when you died, but you managed to aggravate me more by living."

"Thank you, it's nice to hear I'm loved," Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"I waited again. Followed you to Reefside. And watched as you became a Ranger _yet again_. Once I discovered you met Doctor Oliver, I knew it was nearly time."

"Stalker much?" Kira commented.

"How do you think dear Mesogog found out about the Dragonzord? Or about how you could get to it? How you were connected to it?"

"You mean Emo Barbie and Ken and their idiots are after me because of _you_?" Kaylee whined. "Thanks a lot, Bugie!"

"Those simple-minded fools are only a mere distraction. Pawns in _my_ game," Scorpina smiled wickedly. "They want the Dragonzord for their own. I don't care about a heap of metal. I care about your pretty little head on a silver plate."

Kaylee blinked fiercely, staring at this obviously insane woman.

"Hey," Kira stepped in defensively. "The only one who gets to be sadistic around here is me—and even then, it's not to that extent!"

"Tomorrow, at noon, you will meet me down at the beach, near the location Doctor Oliver's colleague has tracked the Dragonzord to. I do not care for Mesogog's plans, nor for those of your fellow Rangers. But _you_, Kaylee Hanson, will come with me."

"Of course, why wouldn't I want to go with the big scary bug lady?" Kaylee stated sarcastically.

"Because if not, then Tommy Oliver will never see the light of day again," Scorpina vowed, taking a step back and allowing the two blonde to see for the first time that strapped to the table behind the madwoman was their Black Dino Ranger.

"Ah, crap," the Green Ranger grumbled.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"I still think this is a bad idea," Kira stated, her eyes scanning the beach for any suspicious movement as she stood with Conner and Kaylee.

"Apparently many there are a couple of _rational_ ideas you think are bad," Conner muttered under his breath, hoping only Kaylee—who knew both sides of the story now—would hear it.

There was no such luck, apparently.

"Excuse me?" Kira began. "Conner, you're not _still_ bitter about that, are you?"

"Uh, guys," Kaylee whispered.

"Sorry, but how would you feel if the person you liked had just imposed an impossible boundary between the two of you?" he countered. "Oh, right, you'd be just fine. Because that's _simple_, isn't it?"

"Guys…"

"Look, I never said I was happy about this either, but you're right, it is _simple_, and right now, being Rangers and having all this drama in our lives, that's what we need."

"Guys!"

"You're impossible."

"Guys!!!"

"WHAT?!" both Conner and Kira yelled finally, rounding on the petite girl. All she had to offer was a hand, pointing behind them. Slowly, they turned, and spotted Scorpina standing several feet away, ruthlessly holding onto a clearly hurt Black Ranger, kneeling at her side.

"I see you didn't come alone, Green Ranger," Scorpina hissed in disgust.

"Never said I had to," Kaylee shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

"Hmm, I guess _someone_ will have to take the poor Black Ranger home when you and I leave this wretched place," she cackled.

"Who said I was going anywhere with you?"

"If you want him free, you will."

Interrupting any response was a purple invisiportal, exploding to life in the air, dropping Blue and White Rangers onto the ground nearby. It took only a few seconds before the boys powered down, panting heavily. They looked exhausted and worn.

"Good news and bad news," Trent rasped, looking up at his friends. "Good – after spending an overnighter camped at Mesogog's, we can confirm Dr. O isn't being kept there. Bad news…"

The invisiportal returned, this time closer to Scorpina, spitting out a rather angry-looking Mesogog, Elsa and Zeltrax. "We didn't pay our stay."

"Dude!" Ethan exclaimed, tapping the white-clad teen on the shoulder and pointing towards the Ranger beside Scorpina. "Dr. O!"

"Scorpina, what do you think you're doing?" Mesogog hissed, glaring at the woman. "I thought we had a deal."

"You were a fool to think so, Mesogog," she snickered. "My only purpose has been revenge, and you were nothing more than a pawn to draw forth the Rangers."

"Yeah, she wants my head on a plate," Kaylee muttered bitterly.

"I need the Green Ranger in order to get me the Zord. Afterwards, you may exact whatever revenge you please on the girl."

"Kaylee is coming with me, and if I feel generous when this is over, I'll allow you to play with the new Zord," Scorpina cackled, outstretching a free hand to the Green Ranger. "Now, come along, Kaylee, if you wish to save your precious Black Ranger."

Mesogog unleashed a sudden roar, not being able to take any more of this nonsense, and launched himself at Scorpina, his teeth bared and his dinosaur claws scratching at her. "Bring me that Green Ranger!" he hissed towards Elsa and Zeltrax, before the two met in an intense duel.

Drawing their weapons and wearing malicious smirks, the two lackeys turned to the Rangers.

"Kaylee, dear, come along," Elsa sneered, her voice sounding sickeningly sweet.

"She's not going anywhere with any of you," Kira stated, stepping forward to block the blonde.

Conner stepped up beside her, strong and supporting, their previous tension all but erasing as their leadership and survival instincts took over. "Trent, Ethan, get Dr. O outta here and radio Hayley for help. Kaylee, go!"

Bringing his morpher into position, he looked over at Kira. "Ready?"

"Ready!" she nodded, bringing her morpher up as they both took their stand.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Go?" Kaylee frowned as Red and Yellow Rangers, weapons in hand, took on Emo Barbie and Ken. "Where?"

As Kira ducked beneath Elsa's blade, swiping her Ptera Grips upwards into the woman's stomach, she yelled over her shoulder. "The Zord!"

"Kaylee…," a strained voice called to her, and she spotted Dr. O supported by Ethan and Trent. "Install the second device and get out. Hayley's bringing the generator to start it."

Nodding, Kaylee closed her eyes, remembering what she'd seen eleven years ago.

_**ZWOP!**_

"Hayley, hurry," Tommy rasped into his morpher. "I don't know how long we'll last."

_I'm on my way, Tommy…_ Her voice came in over the link.

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

_**

* * *

ZWOP!**_

"Whoa…," Kaylee swayed as she landed, her knees almost buckling beneath her. She guessed it was due to the pressure this deep in the ocean, as well as how far she had travelled.

"Okay, just find the controls, then the smelly vent, and hurry up," she told herself. Looking around, she glared at the darkness. "I should've brought a flashlight."

Hoping to stumble into the control panel, she took a few hesitant steps forward, holding her hands together near her chest. Not knowing where she was going, in a dark place, however many leagues under the sea? Yeah, not fun.

Suddenly, a soft green glow surrounded her, emanating from her Dino Gem.

"Ohh, pretty!" she giggled. She briefly remembered what Dr. O and Hayley had said about her Dino Gem functioning on the similar energy as the Dragonzord, so it was possible the two were acting with one another.

Why they hadn't done this last time, who knew, but hey, she had light, and she wasn't gonna complain!

Lifting up her arm, she turned, illuminating different areas. "Scanning…scanning…scanni-ohh, control board!"

She hurried over, remembering how Tommy had driven the Dragonzord into battle a few hours ago. Had it really been all those years ago? Quickly, she pulled the device out of her vest (which she, Kira, Conner and Hayley had decided she should wear as a backup escape plan to accomplish just this.)

She hooked up the wires and suction cup devices, working quickly and using the mental blueprints Hayley had made sure she memorize. Finally, it was done, and she flicked on the little switch on the side of the box.

"Now, all that's left is the other box in the…," as she turned, her Dino Gem illuminated the dark corner where the vent was, and she noticed just how small and murky it was. "…vent…ah crap."

Taking a deep breath and trying to clear her head, she began a slow pace towards the vent, ignoring the voice in her head that prompted her to hurry.

She was halfway there when the lights in the Dragonzord came to life, illuminating everything around her. She frowned, looking around as switches turned on their own and lights flickered on. "Umm…the Hell?" her frown increased. "I didn't…I didn't flick the switchie thing yet…how's it getting power?"

Her Dino Gem's light grew stronger, brighter, and pulsed, as if to respond to her question. "Ummm…okay…not creepy at all," she breathed, yet again remembering Dr. O's words about the similarities between her gem and his old Green Coin.

As quickly as she could, she made it to the vent, bending down and reaching inside to turn it on. It sent a shockwave of power surging through the Dragonzord.

The whole Zord rocked as the shockwave continued on through the water—or so Kaylee thought. Quickly, she realized it was because the Zord was moving. "Ohhhh!"

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

Kira grunted, struggling to keep the blade away from her throat with her Ptera Grips. The sand was prickly against her back, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could support Elsa's weight.

"Wanna think about weight loss there, Elsa?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "Barbies are supposed to be thin as paper, even the dark, scary, emo ones."

The woman snarled, adding pressure to her blade and forcing Kira to wince. But before she could make it any worse, a ripple erupted across the ocean, the shockwave effectively knocking them all onto their asses, Ranger or monster alike.

_**ZWOP!**_

"Incoming!" Kaylee yelled, dropping out of the air and onto the sand beside her yellow-clad friend. Rubbing her butt and pushing herself to her feet, she grumbled. "Oww…"

"So nice of you to join us," Mesogog sneered, getting to his feet as well. "Now, I believe we have a Zord to find?"

"Didn't know lizards could joke," Kaylee giggled, pulling Kira to her feet, who then helped Conner up. The Green Ranger grinned seeing this—they weren't tearing one another's heads off.

"I've already told you, Mesogog, the girl is mine," Scorpina hissed, emerging from a small sand dune and taking a vicious step towards Kaylee—only to have the blade of a Ptera Grip land at her throat.

"And I've already told you, Bug Lady, she's not going anywhere with you, or lizard-breath. Over my dead body."

"Um, please don't give them ideas," Conner leaned forward to whisper.

The ground shook then, causing Kaylee to smile. "Speaking of food," she raised her arm, where her Dino gem was glowing fiercely. Out of the water came a towering Zord, roaring to life as he followed the call of the Green stone. "Anyone wanna feed my new Compadre?"

Scorpina and Mesogog exchanged glances, both looking mightily pissed.

"Elsa, Zeltrax," Mesogog began. "Have the clone bring in Thornox." Hurriedly, they vanished through a purple portal, reappearing moments later with an odd plant monster.

"There they go again with overgrown weeds," Kaylee sighed.

"Your monster is pathetic, Mesogog," Scorpina sneered, unsheathing her blade. "I shall show you what true terror is!"

A scream erupted across the beach as the woman grew and grew, her shape changing and shifting into an utterly monstrous appearance.

"Whoa…," Kira wrinkled her nose. "And we called her a Bug Lady before!"

Hissing in anger, Mesogog outstretched a hand towards Thornox, wrapping him in a bright purple light. Thornox shifted uncomfortably, before he too, grew, until he matched Scorpina in size. Kaylee gulped—what had she gotten herself into this time?

"Kaylee!" a voice yelled, and she turned to see Dr. O leaning against his Jeep, Hayley at wheel at Ethan and Trent standing at the ready. "Your Dino Gem's energy…the Dragonzord is drawn to it! You can control him!"

"I thought I needed the musical weapon thingie!" she frowned; fully aware it was called the Dragon Dagger.

"Just trust me," he stated, calling upon his current Zord with his morpher. The Brachiozord lumbered into view on the horizon, and out of it came Tyrannozord, Pterazord, Spinozord and Tricerazord. As Trent morphed alongside Ethan, the Dragozord flew over the horizon as well.

"Wait, we've got too many Zords for a Megazord here," Conner observed, looking at the towering creatures. "How do we—"

"Kaylee," Trent ran up, still exhausted from before but giving it his all. "Form up with my Dragozord. Dr. O told me they're similar, so it should work."

"But what about Ducky Jr?" she asked, looking up at the Spinozord. "He needs me to form the Megazord with the others."

"Do you remember the fights before you got your Spinozord?" Ethan inquired, touching her shoulder. "Kira, Conner and I were able to create a different version of the Thundersaurus Megazord."

"Ohh! He's right!" Kaylee nodded, hopping up and down. "I remember because I felt really unloved and excluded but they assured me it didn't change anything and then when I got Ducky Jr I was so happy because then I didn't have to use my toys anymore even though I really missed my toys because—"

"Kaylee!" Kira yelled, snapping her out of it. "Fight going on here!"

"Right! Okay, Ducky Jr, Green Compadre, time to team up with the Dragozord!" Kaylee called, her Dino Gem glowing alongside Trent's.

As the five Rangers glowed and jumped high up into the air, their zords complied, moving together and forming two separate creations. The Thundersaurus Megazord became its older version, with the Brachiozord and Tyrannozord body, Tyranno Drill arm, Tricera Shield arm and Ptera Rang defenses. Meanwhile, the three other zords came together, the large Dragonzord becoming the body and head, while the Dragozord and Spino Saw became the arms, creating the green and white Dragon Megazord.

"I _truly_ hate these Rangers," Scorpina glowered, remembering a time when the Megazords were much simpler—almost less intimidating. Her large monstrous form lumbered forward, clamping her claw arm around the Dragon Megazord's neck.

"Whoa…," Kaylee swayed inside the Megazord, which was half white and half green, smoke of both colors swirling around them. "She's really taking this 'I want your head' thing seriously!"

"Dragon Blade!" Trent yelled, the arm crafted from his Zord coming forward, slashing into the bug woman's side. She hissed in pain, effectively letting go of them. Kaylee grinned—her turn.

"Spino Saw!" The spinning disc hit her square in the jaw, managing to saw off the end of her scorpion helmet. She shrieked in anger and pain.

"You filthy little—" Scorpina's insult was interrupted by the Dragon Blade digging into her stomach again.

"No hating on my friends," Trent snickered. "It's rude, Bug Barbie or not."

"Hehe, Bug Barbie!" Kaylee giggled, as their Zord arms delivered another round of damage to the woman whose power was slowly failing, no matter how much she'd boasted. "I like that one!"

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

Thornox was failing miserably, taking punishing blow after blow from the Thundersaurus Megazord. Back in sync, Kira and Conner were delivering massive hits with the Ptera Rang and Tyranno Drill, while Ethan sat back, missing the company Kaylee gave him.

"Kaylee," he sighed, using the com-link established between Megazords. "Why'd you ditch me? It's boring over here now."

"It's boring here too!" she reported, pouting. "Trent won't lemme behead Scorpina!"

"Even if she wants the same of you, it's sick, Kaylee," Trent reminded her for the umpteenth time. She glared at him through her helmet, forcing her Spino Saw to push harder against Scorpina's claw arm, where it was locked.

She could see Dr. O and Hayley below, watching, while Elsa, Zeltrax and Mesogog had all but disappeared. "Chickens," she muttered. Cornered and kneeling against powerful foes, Thornox and Scorpina were on the verge of being wiped out by the Thundersaurus and Dragon Megazords, respectively, when the sky split in a shower of colors.

It brought everything to a halt, the fighting, the Zords, the ocean water. The only thing left moving were Scorpina and the Rangers—and the being descending from the sky. It was a woman.

Clad entirely in white robes, her long white hair fashioned into a zillion braids hidden under a clear golden helmet. She descended slowly, waves of colors swirling around her.

"The Hell…?" Kaylee frowned, hearing similar phrases echoed in the other Megazord over the com-link. "Is everyone seeing that…that…whatever it is?"

Tommy was the first to answer, using the morphers. "_You went into the past, Kaylee. Don't you recognize Rita?"_

"Exqueeze me?" the Green Ranger gasped, staring at woman who basked in her colorful lights. "If you're telling me that's the cackling evil lady who gave Green a bad name…" She still looked weird to Kaylee, seeing as how her costume had been completely black last she'd seen…and the peaceful look on her face?

"Creepy…," the blonde breathed.

"Rita? As in Rita Repulsa?" Ethan stared, open-mouthed and in utter shock. "There's no way! She…she's evil, isn't she?"

"**I was, once upon a time,"** she smiled, her voice echoing along the beach. The Rangers guessed that since she seemed to have frozen time, she wasn't running the risk of some poor sucker hearing a disembodied voice from the skies. **"But Zordon changed that. His wave of pure energy turned me around…showed me light where I only saw darkness."**

"Made you _weak_," Scorpina hissed, slipping out of the Dragon Megazord's grasp to stand, glaring at the white figure. "That's why I hid. I wasn't about to be changed into some sissy Mother Earth type by his wave."

"**No, instead, you wandered the lands, seeking a futile revenge on an innocent girl."**

"Yeah!" Kaylee yelled. "What she said!"

"She humiliated you!"

"**It's been eleven years, Scorpina. And it's hardly something to want her dead for."**

"You're just saying that cuz you know nothing but nice now."

"**You could, too." **Rita outstretched her hand towards Scorpina. **"There is still some of Zordon's magic left. You could have your second chance."**

"Please, why would I want to partake in your silly magic? It's disgusting. So nice, and caring. What happened to the cruel woman I knew?"

"**She saw the error of her ways. Embraced the goodness of Mother Earth."**

Scorpina eyed her warily, trying to glare, but failing miserably. "It was truly futile? My revenge?"

"**Touching, the gesture of defending my image, going after the girl, but Kaylee meant to harm. I was hardly even that angry, if you remember. At least not about the sign…about those two idiots kicking me…well…that's another story."**

She floated further, her magic nearly reaching Scorpina now. **"Come, it's time you took a break from all this. See what a little good could do."**

The bug woman's eyes moved from Rita and over to the Dragon Megazord, locking onto the green figure barely visible through the windshield. "I won't apologize for trying to kill you, at least, not while I still breathe evil. But…perhaps I was wrong to act so rashly, and that this whole ordeal with that idiot, Mesogog, is my fault."

"That's fine, he tries to kill us on a daily basis, so it's not a shocker," Kaylee laughed.

"Perhaps, one day, we could reconcile," Scorpina snickered, only half-serious, before reaching towards Rita and allowing her to pull her into Zordon's magic. The colorful lights embraced the woman, and as they wrapped around her, she shrunk in size. Smaller and smaller until she was normal again—no scorpion attributes, weapons or glares.

A simple Japanese woman with flowing black hair, and an elegant deep purple dress, stood before them, smiling. Slowly, Rita floated down to the ground, her magic reaching out and obliterating Thornox as she did.

Reaching the ground, she stood by the depowered Scorpina, as the Rangers exited their Megazords, both of which returned to their lone Zords, watching. Scorpina approached Kaylee, who tried to shrink away were it not for Kira and Conner boxing her in.

"Kaylee Hanson," the woman bowed. "You are a formidable opponent. Despite my bloodthirsty behavior, I see that you are a kind person, once who aims to have fun in life, and did not mean to harm my master in any way."

"Good," Kaylee chuckled. "That only took you eleven years and a dose of cheery sunlight, Scorpina."

"**Sabrina,"** Rita clarified, coming forward.

"Huh?" the Rangers frowned.

"**Her name is now Sabrina. A new and kinder soul needs a much more pleasant name,"** she laughed lightly, her white braids moving as she did. Wrapping an arm around Sabrina, she smiled. **"You needn't worry about her, now. She'll be returning to Briarwood with me."**

"Briarwood?" Conner frowned. "Where's that?"

Kira only needed to give him a funny look for him to understand it was somewhere nearby.

"**But first…Thomas!"** her white braids twirling around as she turned, her hand came up to beckon the Black Dino Ranger forth. In his shock, he managed a very stupid "me?" before Hayley chuckled, nudging him forward. Despite the pain he'd suffered, he walked over unassisted, standing before the white-clad woman.

"Um, hi, Rita," he said awkwardly.

"**You've grown into quite the mentor,"** she smiled. **"Seems that my move in giving the first Green Ranger a bad name didn't turn out so bad, hmm?"**

"Heh."

"**I have a bit of Zordon's power left, and I believe I know just how to use it,"** she reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder. The same colorful magic that had enveloped Scorp—_Sabrina_—before, wrapped around him. She closed her eyes, and as the color faded away and the magic as well, his Ranger suit did too—leaving a perfectly normal Tommy Oliver.

"Whoa…," he breathed, looking the regular-clothed arms and legs he could finally see—without having to look through a helmet! "I powered down! Finally!"

"**Thank you, Dr. Thomas Oliver, for keeping Angel Grove safe all those years, and for continuing to do so here, in Reefside."**

"Well, it's really them," he motioned to the teens, still morphed, beside them.

"**True as it may be, they would not be here were it not for you. By choice or not, you found them, connected them to the Dino Gems, and for that, Zordon thanks you."**

"Zordon?" Tommy's face lit up. "You've spoken with him? I thought…"

Rita merely smiled, taking a step back, as a bright white light began to form around her and Sabrina. Her last words were directed towards the Rangers, her eyes finding four in particular. **"Good luck, Rangers. We will meet again, someday."**

A bright flash of white light covered the beach, demorphing the Rangers, sending the Zords back into their hiding places, and causing Rita and Sabrina to vanish…

* * *

xX-Green-Hand-Me-Downs-Xx

* * *

"It looks so weird," Kaylee breathed, staring at her morpher. Although it still looked liked the Spinosaur she represented, the small grey triangle by its jaw had become a much darker shade of green, and every time she touched it, the morpher would glow green, turning into the head of the Dragonzord. "So I can use both Zords now, like, full time?"

"Yep," Tommy nodded, happy to be comfortably back at Cyberspace, where he could go freely without his spandex.

"Cool…this is like…," she dropped her voice so that Conner and Trent, who were playing foosball nearby, and Ethan, over at the computers, couldn't hear her. "This is like making up for the Zord Cam and Sensei lost in the mail back in Ninja Storm."

Tommy and Hayley smiled, but Kira's mood only soured.

"That reminds me," she stood up, grabbing Kaylee by the arm—hard. "We'll be back later! Don't wait up!"

"Where are we—oww!—going?"

"You've got some explaining to do, remember?" Kira grinned, and Kaylee groaned, causing the others to laugh as she was physically dragged out of Cyberspace. They exited the café, their argumental voices dying as they drew further away.

"I was hoping you'd forget!"

"Fat chance."

"Hey, only I get to pick on my Tori!"

"Keep joking, it'll only make me angrier…"

"C'mon, is this because tomorrow's your special day? I promise, I wouldn't do a surprise party! Honest!"

"Shut up, they'll hear you!"

"Kids," Tommy chuckled as Hayley poured him a glass of water.

**

* * *

Author's HUGE AND IMPORTANT End Note: **Hey guys! Okay, so, not only do I thank **John Chubb** for the Dragonzord series idea, but also, for the final thing to piece things together--Rita's appearace.

ALSO! I'm having a bit of a dillemma here, guys. As you can see, I've changed things again. I'll be skipping Tommy's two-parter because he's already been de-morphed thanks to Rita, and because, well, I'm not in the mood to write it. But that's not my issue. See, what Kaylee's means by "your special day" is that a certain Yellow Ranger's birthday is soon. This is because **Lily **and I were making PR plans rather than studying for our Religion Exam on Monday, and we made up birthdays for everyone from our series. I picked April 13th as Kira's. Then **Lily**, being the little nerd she is, went about figuring out what day Easter was back in 2004 (where DT is set). She discovered that date was April 11th. Now, because Exmeaster is set on Easter, and this whole time-travel Scorpina meeting thing was the day after, April 12th, that would mean tomorrow is April 13th, Kira's birthday.

Here's where I have issues. I'm looking to write her birthday, obviously. But I have no idea how. Episode-wise, _A Star Is Torn_ is next, but...because we like to make things complicated, it was moved to a later date because of a cameo in it. Now, the next two episodes, "_A Ranger Exclusive_" and "_Tutenhawken's Curs_e" are Ethan-Cassidy-centric and don't at all fit with a Kira birthday. And, after deciding to forgo Tommy's two-parter, I'm left with the devastating "_The Passion of Conner_". Not that it's a bad episode, and it would be intriguing to write as Kira's birthday because she'd hate it...it's more, I'm not sure it's a fit because it's Krista/Conner and that's quite soon after his and Kira's talk...

I dunno. See how much distress this is causing me? IM RAMBLING. XD I really don't wanna do another Original Chapter, because it seems to lag my motivation and I'd have no idea for a plotline anyway.

So, that means suggestions, ideas and ANY AND ALL feedback are mucho appreciated, and awaited, because I need tips or something on how to handle all this. Do I suck it up and write A Star Is Torn, figuring out something for the cameo to come? Or do I write "The Passion of Conner" and not only crush Kira on her birthday, but make her eat her words as Conner drifts, possibly on purpose? Or does anyone know a clever way to twist one of the Ethan-centric episodes into a Kira-centric or something similar? ...UGH. My faithful and loved reviewers, HELP!

Much love, Faith.


	24. A Star Is Torn

**_A Star Is Torn._**

Kira was bristling with happiness. Over the years, her birthdays had ranged from complete disasters to mediocre days. _Never_ had they been this exciting!

Never had she thought that on her eighteenth birthday, she'd be called up by one of the best music managers from Tones Records to discuss coming in later that day to talk music. Never had she thought that she'd talk about a musical career with a manager or producer.

Heck, she hadn't even thought her music career would go further than Hayley's at this point!

Her heart soared. _Career_! He was offering her a musical career! She was so excited that her brain didn't even register the fact that the plans to preview her song later in the day had been made for her—solo. No Kaylee…

Walking down the street with a bounce in her step, she fished her phone out of jeans, dialing a number she knew off by heart. It was onto the third ring when she froze and hung up. Staring at her LCD screen, she frowned. _Conner_? Why on earth was she calling him _first_?

Her mother maybe, or Kaylee—most definitely Kaylee—but Conner? Sure, he'd been her 'tell-everything-to' person lately, the first person she called when _anything_ happened—good, bad, in-between. But…after their talk two days ago?

_Simple…_her mind told her. _We're making things simple, remember?_

But did her simple include a dab of isolation and a dash of distancing? _Great, what a way to make this awkward, Kira._

**Now** she was stuck. Her own mind and definition of 'simple' barring herself from calling up Conner, and her inability to call Kaylee due to the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, she was at a loss.

She had to tell _someone!_ It was wonderful news!

And as the back doors to Cyberspace swung open up ahead, she had her answer.

"Trent!" she called, causing him to look up. "You're not going to believe this! You're going to freak!"

"I'm already freaking! We're out of soy milk, Hayley's off today and Kaylee's currently got a yellow-clad distraction in town. I gotta hit the store!"

"Oh, wait, I have to tell you something," she began, but he was already brushing past in his haste, picking up his pace.

"Sorry, it's going to have to wait."

"Okay, have you seen Ethan?"

"Not yet." With that, he was gone, rounding the corner at a brisk run.

"Great," she sighed. "Who am I going to tell?"

She looked down at her communicator, getting an idea now that Trent had said Hayley was out.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"Alright, you ready, Conner?" Hayley questioned, sitting in her computer chair, while the soccer star stood a little ways away, hooked up to the controls of something.

"Yep," he nodded. "Ready."

"Try the controls," she told him, turning back to the computer. Complying, he reached forward, placing his hands onto the controls. "Initiating simulation."

Red electricity sparked at the base of the controls and quickly, it rose, reaching Conner's hands first, and then travelling up his body. "Hayley…," he rasped, holding on despite the volts coursing through his every fiber. "Can we stop please?"

She glanced over her shoulder and gasped—his hair was standing up on end and red electricity was having a field day with him. "Oh! Shutting down!" She typed as quickly as she could, stopping the test immediately.

The Red Ranger took a deep breath then—several, actually—trying to calm his nerves. He was almost back to normal when his breathing hiked—the view screen had just switched from statistics to the image of Kira, talking into her communicator. So much for calm.

"_Hayley, are you there? It's Kira."_

"Hey, Kira," Hayley spoke up. "We're a little busy right now, are you alright?"

"_Yeah, fine, I just wanted to tell you that—"_

"Can I call you back? I'm working on the control program for the new assault vehicle and it's super important."

"_Oh, yeah, sure…what about Ethan? Is he around?"_

"Can you tell her that unless she's getting attacked by something green and scaly, send me an e-mail," he spoke up, sitting in the corner, vicious typing away on his laptop.

Rolling her eyes, Hayley turned back to the screen. "Did you hear that?"

"_Yeah, I heard…"_

"And Ethan's right, unless it's an emergency, we should keep the communication frequency clear. Try Kaylee, or Trent, they're at work today."

"_Okay…I'm just…,"_ she sighed, visibly saddened onscreen. _"I'm sorry. I'll talk to you guys later."_

She disappeared as the call ended, and Hayley swiveled in her chair, turning to face Ethan. "What are you doing over there that's so important anyway?"

"Searching the web for my soul mate," he grinned.

"Dude, if you needed help with girls, you just needed to ask," Conner snickered, but Ethan shot him a challenging glare.

"Really? Because I didn't hear Kira asking about you just now, bro. And she seemed a bit troubled, aren't you usually her 'go-to' guy?" Ethan stated, and Conner's face fell—obviously that had hit a sore spot. "Ah, sorry dude. I was just kid—"

"That's fine," Conner turned back to the control panel, frosty. "If she thinks avoiding me is keeping things _simple_, well, two can play at that game. Hayley, start it up."

"Are you sure? I mean, we just—"

"Try me," he ordered and as she turned back to the computer to comply, she shot Ethan a 'look-what-you've-done' glare.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

Hurrah, that officially ruled out the three people she might've been able to happily tell about this music thing. But with Trent off doing groceries and Hayley and Ethan busy…that meant only Kaylee and Conner were left.

As she walked into Cyberspace, she mulled things over in her mind. She desperately wanted to phone them up and tell them…but that lovely feeling in the pit of her stomach was preventing her from doing so. She knew why she wasn't calling Conner—but what was stopping her from telling Kaylee the good news?

And then it hit her.

Eddie wanted to see Kira this afternoon—to talk about a career, talk about the demo she'd given him, a video, everything. Those should've added up to a good thing, but there was one thing missing. In all their conversation on the phone—not once had he mentioned Kaylee.

"This is _so_ not good…," Kira breathed.

"Ew, somebody looks bummed out today. What's the matter, you find out you're not the next Avril Lavigne?" a snide comment reached her ears, and looked up to see Cassidy standing there, notebook in hand.

"You know what, Cassidy, not even you can ruin today," Kira bit back.

"Why not?"

"If I have to tell someone, it might as well be you," Kira decided. "I got a call from a really big music manager from Tones Records. He wants to sign me, record one of my songs, do a video—everything."

Before Cassidy could come up with what was undoubtedly a mean response, another voice joined in the conversation—and this one didn't sound too happy.

"_What_?"

Turning around, both girls spotted Kaylee standing there, Dustin in tow, obviously having headed over here to say hello to Kira.

"Kaylee…," Kira began, but the hurt on the blonde's face drew her to a stop. What was she supposed to say?

"What about me?"

"Well, clearly, she's ditching you," Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Guess you're not up to par with Kira on rockstar standards. Apparently you're meant to stick with the garage band for a bit while she moves onto the big leagues."

"Kaylee, that's not—" but the blonde wouldn't hear it. She stormed out of Cyberspace, dragging an apologetic Dustin behind her. Slowly, Kira turned to glare at Cassidy. "Thanks, Cassidy. You've made this day suck _so_ much more!"

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Kaylee yelled, stomping back and forth in front of the park bench where Dustin sat, waiting for her to calm down. "She's ditching me! Kira—my own not-really-a-sister sister—is leaving me behind and getting signed!"

"Well, maybe it's just this one meeting, y'know?" Dustin offered. "Maybe he wants to talk to you afterwards."

"Then why didn't I get called yet? And why didn't Kira say anything about it?" she whined. "Besides, doesn't she realize what she's doing? She and Kylee Styles used to be in a band together, and then Kylee got discovered and ditched Kira and turned into some icky pink monster! Oh, and then she and Kira had a falling out!"

"You think the same thing is happening to you guys?"

"Yeah! I don't wanna have a stupid falling out with Kira! She's Tori 2.0!"

Dustin stood up then, taking Kaylee's hands in his. "Look, Kira's being offered a once in a lifetime chance here, Kayl. Let's say, tomorrow, Factory Blue came up and offered me a career touring for them. What would you say?"

"I'd be sad that you were leaving…but…motocross is something that makes you happy and touring would be something really good for you. So I'd have to suppor—OHHHH!"

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"Come on, Conner, take 'em down!" Hayley grinned, watching the simulation on the screen before her. Conner was doing much better this time around. And Ethan…he was still searching for his 'soul mate'.

"I'm trying!" They both knew he wasn't—at least, he wasn't trying hard enough. He was distracted, and Hayley knew it was because of Kira. The lack of a phone call to him was doing more damage than if she _had_ awkwardly asked for him.

On the screen, the Megazord exploded. The words SIMULATION OVER flashed across the image of the explosion and Hayley groaned, sitting back. "Oops," she rolled her eyes.

Removing his simulation helmet, the Red Ranger groaned. "Great. Game over. _Again._"

"Welcome to my world, dude," Ethan stated from over on his laptop.

"At least it's only a simulation," Hayley offered.

"With a real-world reflection of how his relationship with Kira bombs," he chuckled. "Or, y'know, lack thereof."

"Shut up," Conner growled. Turing to Hayley, he practically whined: "The hydraulics are doing the opposite of everything I tell them to."

Hayley didn't know what to tell him. He had to realize on his own that they were only ever gonna get this over with if he could concentrate on something other than the evasive Yellow Ranger. From the corner, Ethan spoke up again.

"Hey, would guys say that I'm a—a chiseled work-out fiend, b—a beefy boy-toy, c—a walking toothpick, or d—just your average, everyday dude?"

"I thought you were looking for something a little deeper, Ethan," Hayley pointed out.

"Yeah, but to get there I've got to answer these 500 questions," he muttered, massaging his hand. "And I'm getting a hand cramp."

"Here's a chance to take a break. I need you two to pick up a titanium server mechanism. I e-mail the address to your organizer, Ethan. It'll be waiting for you."

"Do you think that's going to fix the problem?"

"I'm hoping. Let's just get it home without Mesogog finding out what we're doing," she pressed.

"Yeah, his game of trying to use our new toys is getting old."

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"Um…hi?" a small voice said hesitantly, causing Kira to look up from her lyric notebook. Spotting a timid Kaylee and Dustin, who was giving her thumbs up; she closed the book and put down her pencil.

"Hey," Kira said slowly. "You talking to me again?"

"Yeah…um…look, I'm sorry for freaking out on you earlier. I mean, it was just so sudden and…you didn't say anything and, well—"

"I know, it was sudden for me too. And my brain must've zwopped was when I said yes! I never should've, I mean, our act is a duo thing, right?"

Kaylee grinned—her _Kaylee Way_ was definitely rubbing off on Kira. But the smile fell slightly when she remembered why she was here. Placing a hand on Kira's shoulder, she shrugged.

"You should go this afternoon to the meeting thingie."

"What?"

"This is a once in a lifetime chance, you know that, right Kir? A chance to record…to go out there and make _real_ music! Something you've dreamed of," Kaylee explained. "And I think you should go for it."

"Really?" Kira frowned. "But what about…"

"Me?" Kaylee waved it off, giggling. "Meh, I'll be fine. Promise you won't turn into Kylee Styles, and we're even."

"Promise," Kira grinned, standing up and giving the blonde a hug. Checking her phone, she realized she had to go—she had to be at Tones Records, like, _now_! "Thanks Kayl, you're the greatest!"

As the Yellow Ranger made for the exit, Dustin passed Kaylee her waitress apron from behind the counter. Tying it up, Kaylee's smile fell and she looked at Dustin. "We agreed this was the right thing to do—that this was how I was supposed to react. But…why's it hurt so much?"

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

The room was bigger than anything Kira had ever seen. The room was filled with pure white furniture, and music was pounding in the background, all but drowning out Kira's voice as she stepped further inside. "Hello? Anybody here?" she called. "Hello?"

"You must be Kira," a tall blonde man came in through a doorway, a large grin plastered on his face and huge sunglasses. She recognized his voice as that of music manager Eddie, the man who'd phoned her up.

"Welcome to my home," he gestured to the room, taking his sunglasses off to expose his bright blue eyes. "Walk with me."

"Wait, you _live_ here?" Kira asked, in awe, walking across the room (yes, it was _that_ large).

"My ideas do. This is my creative home. This where stars are born, Kira." Forcibly, she landed in a chair, and leaning on the back, the turned it until she faced a mirror, staring at her own reflection. "Stars like you."

"Wow…," Kira breathed, a small smile settling in. "What…what do I do?"

"Just follow my lead. If you can promise me your loyalty, your trust, I can promise you your musical dreams," he grinned. "Does that sound fair?"

For the second time that day, Kira was so wrapped up in this amazing offer that her mind blanked, and she erased anything remotely suspicious. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Great. Then let's start," Eddie announced, pulling her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, they walked towards the end of the room. "On the way to wardrobe, we can talk about Kira Ford; who she's gonna be, what she's going to represent."

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"What is this thingamadoohopper?" Kaylee frowned, watching Conner and Ethan open a box to reveal some odd server mechanism. She stood at the bottom of the platform, leaning on Dustin. Since Trent had returned from getting groceries for Cyberspace and that things had died down, he'd told Kaylee to go and help the guys with whatever Hayley was having them do.

"Some device that's gonna help Conner suck less at the Rover simulation," Ethan snickered as he turned around to take the clipboard from a man standing there, leaving Conner to close and lock the box. "There you go."

"Thanks," the man nodded, taking the clipboard back as the boys got off the platform. Together, they picked up the box.

"Head out!" Kaylee announced dramatically, pointing towards the end of the warehouse garage. As she and Dustin took a step forward, Conner and Ethan supporting the box behind them, Tyrannodrones appeared through an invisiportal. "Oh zwop. How'd they know?"

"You're using it as a substitute curse now?" Dustin chuckled, looking over at his girlfriend.

"Yeah, you've missed a bit," she giggled; turning to see Conner and Ethan put down the box and prepare to fight. She adopted a fighting stance with them, watching them frown as Dustin did too.

"Uh, dude, are you sure you wanna…wait a minute…," Conner trailed off, scrutinizing Dustin with a mighty glare. "I never _did_ ask about the connection between you and my brother and the whole ninja thing in Blue Bay!"

"Kira was right; the getting hit in the head with a soccer ball _does_ affect your memory!" Kaylee grinned, before the Tyrannodrones roared and rushed forward, interrupting any further debate or conversation. They separated, surrounding the box and protecting it as best they could.

Conner was the first to stray away from that, using one drone as a springboard and jumping up onto some crates by running against the wall. He rolled sideways, pushing himself up to meet three more Tyrannodrones there.

Using the box as leverage, Ethan flipped backwards, kicking a Tyrannodrone in the chest, following by swinging his leg low to the floor, wiping out another drone. Hearing a roar, he looked up, watching as one tried to rush him. He rolled sideways out of its path.

Kaylee and Dustin were faring better for defending the box at this point—using years of Ninja training to battle side-by-side. Grabbing his arm and letting him use his strength to swing her sideways, Kaylee swung herself into the air, kicking a ring of Tyrannodrones down.

Grinning, he stomped the ground, chuckling as a tremor of dust and dirt ripped up from the warehouse pavement, knocking down a line of Tyrannodrones one by one. "Bowling!" Kaylee giggled, hugging her boyfriend. "I missed you!"

Ducking under the swing of a Tyrannodrone's vicious arm, he kicked another in the stomach. Seeing that there were a few too many monsters up here, he ducked back, doing a powerful somersault backwards off the stack of crates. Landing in the throng of monsters again, he fought his way back to the crate, finding himself back-to-back with Dustin, who had just used his Earth powers to solidify a pile of dirt at one drone's foot, sticking him there.

"Don't think I'm forgetting about this Sensei-power-ninja-school-teaching-my-brother thing!" Conner said, all in one breath, before being kicked in the shin by a monster. "Dude! Not cool!"

Meanwhile, Kaylee and Ethan were taking on another group, using the truck parked in the garage as a weapon. Ethan had covered his arms with his scaled powers, punching drones every-which-way.

Kaylee grabbed the arm of one monster, throwing him to the ground before latching onto the truck's door. It swung her out, where she crashed into Ethan, and they both fell over. The Tyrannodrones stared, dumbstruck for a moment.

As awkward a position as they were in, Kaylee was able to look upwards past his head and—

_**ZWOP!**_

Pulling away from Ethan and standing up on the roof of the truck, Kaylee readied herself as the first Tyrannodrone climbed up, followed quickly by several more. "Uh-oh."

_**ZWOP!**_

"Kaylee!" Ethan yelled, getting up to battle a handful of Tyrannodrones. "Thanks for ditching me!" But she didn't hear him. She was busy spinning on one foot, kicking yet another ring of monsters to the ground.

Glancing over her shoulder, she realized the box was unguarded. "Dustin! Conner!"

A red flash went by, and two Tyrannodrones went flying away from the crate. As others quickly joined them and Dustin, Kaylee and Ethan came up beside Ethan, a flash of purple signaled an invisiportal and they were gone.

"Well, that was fun," Conner muttered.

"We'd better get this thing to uh…where are we taking this?" Dustin frowned, and with a gasp, Kaylee realized something.

"Holy zwop! You've never seen the Dino Lab! You've never known about the secret bat cave and—"

"Is he even _allowed_ in the secret ba—The Dino Lab?" Ethan mumbled.

"Get the box, I'll radio Dr. O!" Kaylee face covered with an ecstatic smile, causing Ethan's to sour as he trudged over to the box, followed by a snickering Conner.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"You love it?" Eddie asked, and Kira slowly twirled, looking at her outfit.

Black leather. _Everywhere_.

It started out simple when they were putting things together—black capris, her converses and a leather sleeveless top. It hadn't been so bad at first, even when the long golden earrings were added. But afterwards?

Eddie had insisted they add the coat—a floor-length leather piece that tied up around her shoulders with a large stiff collar, and flowed down past her ankles with _feathers_. Lots and **lots** of feathers! And pouf! And…they formed a tail…oh boy.

But that hadn't been the worst. The worst had been when Eddie had dragged her to his stylist—Katelyn? Katie? Katrina?—and she'd "worked her magic" on Kira's hair.

Not only was it done up in some odd faux-hawk style added to a mullet, but there was fake black hair die, and when she thought it couldn't possibly get any worse—they added these awkward little feather things that only reminded her more of a peacock.

"Mmm…," her face scrunched up. "You want me to be honest?"

"Remember, Kira," Eddie grinned. "Trust."

"Doesn't trust work both ways?"

"Not in my world," he stated, twirling his hand in the air. "Spin."

Looking annoyed, Kira spun on the spot, eyes rolling upwards as Eddie walked around her, grinning. "That is perfect."

There came a knocked at the door and Eddie walked away, headed towards the man that had just come in, holding a CD. "Ah, excellent. Thanks." His grin _actually_ grew larger and he took the CD, turning towards Kira and almost waving it in her face. "Your new sound."

"My_ new sound_?" Kira gaped, watching him with her eyes as he walked over to his sound system, putting it into the open tray.

"Remixed by _Kylee Styles'_ producer," Eddie announced proudly. "And he is _not_ easy to get."

"Oh…," with the mention of Kylee Styles, her mood had fallen—not that it hadn't when she'd put placed in these awkward clothes. But it wasn't over yet.

_**I see that you wanna get lost inside me  
Too many words  
People say too many things  
They take you away  
Whether you wanna go  
Let it all sadden  
Drown your tears in my pettled hair**_

"Oh, that is magic!" Eddie reveled. "That's pure magic!"

The song playing through the speakers wasn't _magic_ at all—it was a corrupted version of the demo song of hers and Kaylee's that she'd originally submitted. Except the sound was weird, so much more electronic and Kaylee's vocals had been entirely removed.

Kira's face scrunched up again. "W-would you mind if I went outside and made a call?"

"Yeah, fine. Just don't be long. We got work to do," he waved her off, practically ignoring her.

Making for the door as fast as she could, Kira found her phone hidden amongst the leather and feathers. Shaking the sound of that awful remix from her head, she stepped outside, dialing the number for the Blue Ranger.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

A strange tune began playing from Ethan's pocket, causing everyone to frown as he and Dustin carried the wooden box down the stairs into the Dino Lab.

"D'you hear that?" Conner looked up, as he was waiting at the bottom. "What is that?"

"That's my phone," Ethan grunted, ignoring it to carry the crate.

"Dude, you _gotta_ change that ring," Conner snickered, as did Kaylee, and Dustin helped him put the crate down, giving him a chance to find his phone.

"What's the matter with it?" Ethan asked, incensed.

"Are you _serious_?" Kaylee giggled. He pulled out his phone, looking at the screen. "Who is it?"

"Kira," he stated, answering it. "Hello?" He gave it a moment, before pulling it back and staring at the screen again. "Hello…hello? Must have hung up."

He and Dustin picked up the crate again, only to have another ring interrupt them. This time, however, it was a song—something of Kira and Kaylee's. The Green Ranger didn't realize her own pocket was ringing until all three boys gave her pointed looks.

"Oh! My butt's ringing!" she exclaimed, finding her phone. By the time she picked up, however, Kira had hung up and apparently moved on.

_I will be, all that you want, and get myself together_

_Cause you keep me from falling apart_

_All my life, I'll be with you forever_

_To get your through the day, and make everything okay…_

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's _Kira_ calling," Kaylee snickered, turning to Conner, who held his phone in his hand, frowning at it. "Well, aren't you gonna answer it?"

"Why's she phoning _me_?" he said sourly, and Kaylee could only groan, turning to glare at Ethan.

"What?!" the Blue Ranger exclaimed. "Why're you looking are me funny?"

"You see where those cynical comments of yours have landed him?"

"I'm not answering it," he reasoned, pocketing the phone just as the song died out, signaling that Kira had given up on him, too. "I mean, normally I get phoned first for everything. Whenever there's a problem—I'm on speed dial number one. But earlier? She didn't ask for me and now she calls me _last_? Nuh-huh."

"Oh, yeah, you're mature," Kaylee commented.

"You're one to talk!"

"You don't think it's hard for her too after what you two decided only the other day?" Kaylee defended her friend, frowning. "I'm amazed she's calling you at all!"

"Yes, thanks, that makes me feel _much_ better!" Conner snapped.

"Hey, how would you feel if you were seemingly being ignored by all your friends on the day where you not only get a chance to land a recording deal, but where it's also your birthday?!" Kaylee yelled, causing a _very_ awkward silence in the room, where three pairs of unblinking eyes regarded her.

"She's landing a recording deal?" Ethan frowned. "_Without_ you?"

"It…it's her birthday…and she…and we…and…ah, fu—"

"ZWOP!" Kaylee yelled, censoring the soccer star.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

Kira sighed. This was great. Just great. Now, not only was she dressed in something similar to the Emo Barbie version of _Bigbird_, out on the street, while her music was being tampered with in the building behind her, but all her friends were ignoring her in a time of need.

_Ethan never answers his phone, so no shock there but…the other two? _She sighed as reality hit her. _Great, you've really screwed up this time, Ford. Your best friend is ignoring your phone call because she's hurt you've ditched her and probably thinks you're going to turn into Kylee Styles on her and guy you're crushing on probably hates you for pushing him away and doesn't want anything to do with you anymore…_

"Happy-freaking-Birthday to me," she muttered. She looked up hearing rushed footsteps and came to see three little girls run up, holding pens and booklets.

"Excuse me, are you a singer?" one asked.

"Uh, yeah, I am," she nodded a little awkwardly.

"What do you sing?"

"Well, I was supposed to be making an album, but, I don't think I'm going to anymore."

"Why not? I bet you're great!"

"And I love your clothes!"

"You do?" she frowned, looking down at the Emo-Barbie-Bigbird outfit.

"Yeah!" they all nodded ecstatically.

"Can we have your autograph?" one girl thrust out her pen and pad towards her, grinning.

"You guys want me autograph?"

"Yeah!" they all nodded once more, causing her to finally smile.

"Well, yeah. I guess," she accepted the pen, signing their autograph books.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

The four teens stood there, watching Hayley work, fast-paced, while Dr. O sat at the computer, typing away. Three of them were awe that they were working this fast and _weren't_ the Rangers with Superspeed, while the other was simply in awe at the Ranger Base around him.

Although he couldn't say it aloud due to the presence of Ethan and Conner (who'd forgotten to ask about the connection yet again), he had to agree with Kaylee that his base was much cooler and much more bat-cave-ish than Ninja Ops.

"Let me get this straight. We just have to transfer the computer information from our testing to this, install it, and then he's ready to stop getting blown up?" Ethan inquired, motioning from the machine to Conner, who gave him a dirty look. He was back on his laptop again, probably on that stupid dating thing.

"Dude, you wanna try it?"

"Only problem is, it's not accepting the data dump," Hayley sighed.

"Dump?" Kaylee frowned. "Computers poop?"

Tommy swore, and they looked over to see the words DATA TRANSFER ERROR written on the screen in large letters.

"I just don't understand it," Hayley groaned, obviously tired.

"You need a break," Tommy announced, getting up. "I got things covered here, Hayl."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I think we've left Trent alone at Cyberspace long enough."

"Hey, what do you guys think of this one? She's single—"

"I'd hope so," Dustin and Kaylee chuckled together.

"—attractive both inside and out, believes she was Cleopatra in another life and loves to paint portraits of snakes."

"That makes sense, historically," Tommy pointed out, while Conner, Kaylee and Dustin could barely contain their laughter.

"Sounds like a perfect match to me," Conner teased, causing Ethan to roll his eyes.

"How true," Hayley laughed, heading for the stairs. There, she met Kira. "Oh, hey, Kira."

This drew the attention of everyone in the room. Ethan even detached himself from his online dating…whatever he was calling it.

"Great," she smiled, uneasy. "You're all here."

"Where have you been?" Kaylee inquired.

"Yeah, you should check in every once in a while," Conner stated, and they all had to wonder whether it was spiteful and sarcastic, or if he really just didn't remember she _had_. "Besides, it's not really good to be alone on your birthday, is it?"

"You _told _them?" Kira hissed, turning on Kaylee, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I…I didn't think….um…"

"What's so bad about telling us it was your birthday?" Ethan frowned.

"I…never mind. Look, I need your opinion on something," she sighed, and it was evident to everyone that something was clearly bothering her. She didn't look remotely like a girl happily turning eighteen who'd just been offered a recording deal.

Something in her tone made them see the silent plea hidden beneath it. She walked over to the computer, holding out a CD. "And I need you all to be honest…can you play this?"

"Sure," Tommy nodded, taking it from her and placing it on the open disc tray. Within moments, music flowed through the speakers and the music video began, allowing them all to witness the black hair with faux-hawk, mullet and black leather outfit.

The music was techno and electric in style, and the video setting was filled with colors and shapes, completely psychedelic. Computer generated images of things like teapots floated past her head as she sang.

As Ethan and Tommy could only gape at the screen, Conner and Dustin exchanged a worried glance, and Kaylee looked completely horrified. It was several moments after the video finished before anyone spoke.

"Hmmm…," was all Tommy could muster.

"Alright, tell me the truth."

"Well…um…," Ethan began.

"It's…," not even Dustin could help.

"What?" she frowned, taking a step back and looking at them. "Is _someone _gonna tell me what they really think?"

"I will," Conner spoke up.

"Conner!" the others snapped, but Kira took a step towards him, hopeful.

"No, let him talk!"

He sighed, looking at the image still frozen on the screen of Kira in the black leather costume. "Um…well…much as the outfit is…uh…," he began pulling on his guitar pick necklace, clearly uncomfortable. "Kinda…pretty…damn hot…ahem…uh. I just…I think it's not you."

Despite the blush creeping onto her cheeks at what he thought of her in the outfit, her mind clicked with his words and she shook her head sadly. "I knew it. What was I thinking…?"

"Um…you weren't?" Kaylee offered, patting her on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Kira chuckled. "You're the one who told me to go for it!"

"I thought it was an awesome chance at a recording deal! Not going to make a fool outta yourself!" Kaylee stated, and behind her, Dustin face-palmed.

"Oh, thanks, Kaylee. That makes me feel _much_ better about it!"

"Hey, you asked!"

"And you just couldn't _lie_, maybe? Make me feel a little better about the fact that I dressed up like a big Emo Barbie Bigbird!"

"I don't lie, even if it is to make my friends feel better!"

"Really? And what about when you told me this whole Tones Records deal didn't bother you? You sure you were telling me the truth then? Because it's starting to look like you were just saying that to make me happy, actually being sour about how you weren't chosen!"

"I'm sorry, have you seen Kira anywhere guys? The only thing I see is a Kylee Styles zwopper!"

Tears stung at both their eyes now, as they faced off, glaring. And then?

The alarm went off. Red, loud and blaring.

"Never thought I'd be so glad to hear that sound!" Ethan gasped, turning to watch the aerial assault craft that appeared on the screen. A large centipede creature flew out, landing on ground and writhing around. The words TERROR ASSAULT CRAFT DEPLOYED came up onscreen, and the Rangers groaned.

"Either something escaped from the air show, or you guys are in trouble," Dustin stated, considering the fact that this part, he couldn't help with.

"Zeltrax…," Tommy growled, standing up.

Conner looked to the other three Rangers, two of which still carried angry faces. "Okay, look, I realize now is not the greatest time for me to say this, but we gotta work together, alright? Just, try and put aside feelings or whatever until after the battle so we can take these guys down." He brought his morpher up, apparently adjusted to Dustin's non-Ranger presence at this point. "Ready?"

Three hesitant cries of "Ready!" followed, along with Tommy's.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"Keep trying to get the new vehicle up and running, Hayley," Tommy pleaded, and she nodded. "We're gonna need it. Zeltrax isn't gonna give up until one of us is destroyed."

As the Rangers moved out, Dustin stepped forward, taking a seat beside Hayley. "Whatever I can help with, I will. I've been them before—and I know that any weight of their shoulders is a blessing."

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

As they found their Raptor Riders, Tommy looked back at the other four. "This thing is still in the area. We have to intercept it before it reaches the city!"

"_I've got a clear idea where it is, I can guide you,"_ Dustin's voice came in over the Dino Gem radio, and Kaylee giggled happily. She leaned over across the gap between Raptors, making sure only Kira could hear her.

"Hehe, it kinda sounds like old times with him on the com-link!" she told the Yellow Ranger, and despite the helmet blocking the way, she turned her head slowly enough that Kaylee understood she was glaring. It clicked in the Green Ranger's mind that they weren't agreeing right now, and she sat up straight, coughing a little awkwardly.

With Dustin guiding them, they made it to the Terror Assault Craft's location in no time.

"What do we do, Dr. O?" Ethan asked aloud.

"You have to fight him the best you can," Tommy stated, bringing up his morpher. "Brachiozord!" The black Zord lumbered into view through the trees, its roar echoing in the clearing. As it reached the gravel, the Terror Assault Vehicle, called TAC for short, shot up from the ground, rushing towards the Brachiozord. Spikes popped out of the TAC's legs, slashing up the side of the Brachiozord. Inside, the other Zords roared in pain.

On Tommy's orders, the Brachiozord opened its mouth, shooting lightning from its mouth at the TAC. It smashed into its side, and the mechanical monster went flying, splitting into three different fighter jets.

"Whoa!" Conner exclaimed. "Check that out!"

"Oh, man," Tommy sighed. Turning, the fighter jets fired at the Rangers, sending them flying in return. The Black Ranger was the first up, watching as the aerial assault craft began to fly away from them. "He's getting away!"

He ran forward, leaping into the air and going up to the aerial assault craft. Below, the fighter jets kept shooting, bringing down the Brachiozord.

"We gotta do something!" Conner exclaimed.

"Like what?" Kaylee frowned. "We midgets compared to that thing!"

"Might be time to go Triassic, Conner," Kira suggested, watching as the Terror Assault Craft reformed. As the Red Ranger summoned the shield, Kira, Kaylee and Ethan took up their positions, passing their Dino Gem energy onto the Shield.

"Triassic Ranger, engage!" Conner shouted, gaining all the energy and powering up into his Triassic form while the other three powered down with their lack of energy. He walked forward, taking slow and menacing steps towards the Terror Assault Craft. "I'm coming up there!"

Jumping forward using Triassic Ranger energy, he went flying up towards the monster. Easily, it knocked him away and back down to the ground. Gasping, the others started forwards, worried.

"Whoa," he swayed, but landed on his feet. "Okay, new plan."

Pulling out his blasted, he fired at the TAC, causing it to shriek in pain. Angry, it swung one of its legs down towards Conner, who wasn't expecting it. While Kaylee and Ethan called his name in warning, Kira merely screamed—her powers kicking in.

Ripples of yellow sound waves rushed past the Red Ranger, connecting with the TAC's leg and blowing it to pieces. The creature shrieked again, louder than before.

"Thanks," Conner smiled towards Kira, before noticing his Shield was glowing. "Huh?"

From over the hill came the new Zord Conner had seen so many times in the simulations. It roared, causing the glow on his shield to flare up even more.

"Whoa, Hayley did it! Triassic Megarover is online!" he cheered.

"_And just in time, by the look of things_," Dustin's voice came in over the com-link, followed by Hayley's.

"_Do it just like we practiced, Conner."_

"Yeah, only don't blow it like with Kira," Ethan muttered, causing Kaylee the giggle and the Yellow Ranger to frown.

"You've got it," Conner hissed, trying hard to ignore the Blue Ranger. He let the Shield guide him and took off towards the Megarover, floating up and going inside. "This is sweet."

Once in the cockpit, he placed the Shield of Triumph on the controls, calling its name and activating its full power. The entire cockpit lit up with bright red and gold lights, and to everyone's joy, the Triassic Megarover rolled forwards.

Angry and still in pain from a missing limb, the Terror Assault Craft charged, splitting up into its three fighter jets and shooting away. Roaring, the Megarover remained unharmed, the lasers bouncing off with only a small amount of sparks.

Hissing, the TAC reformed, taking off. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!" Conner grinned, driving away in the Megarover and going after it. Meanwhile, on ground level, an invisiportal opened, spitting forth Elsa and a handful of Tyrannodrones.

"Man, you have horrible timing," Kaylee whined.

"We're having a little power outage, mind coming back later?" Kira inquired.

"This'll be easy," Elsa cackled greedily. "Take 'em down!"

"Uh-oh," Ethan's eyes widened as several T-drones rushed him, and reacting quickly, he covered his arms with his powers, blocking a swipe at his head. Elsa drew her sword, headed for Kaylee.

"Um, that's not fair. I'm weaponless!" the blonde stated, teleporting out of the sword's path. She popped up behind Elsa and kicked out, flooring the woman. Elsa growled, swinging out her leg and sweeping Kaylee's feet from underneath her.

She landed hard on the gravel and groaned, the back of her head aching. Elsa stood, sword in hand, and pointed it at Kaylee's throat. "Not so fierce now, are you, Green Ranger?"

"She's having a bit of an off day," a voice stated, and Elsa soon found the blade of a Ptera Grip at her throat. "Now, back off my friend. There's only room for one Emo Barbie around here, and today—thanks to a really shitty mistake I made—that's me."

It was obvious she was using the last of her strength to keep the one Ptera Grip here, without her Ranger suit, to battle Elsa. Angry, the woman snarled, hitting harder with her sword. But she wasn't a match for Kira, who was having just enough of a bad day that every swing was more powerful than the last.

Finally, she beat Elsa back, taking a deep breath and glancing at Kaylee, who had enough warning to cover her ears before Kira screamed again, unleashing powerful yellow sound waves on the evil woman.

An invisiportal opened and a hissing Elsa disappeared inside, followed by the Tyrannodrones.

"Shitty mistake?" Kaylee inquired as Kira helped her up. "I thought getting this recording deal was your dream?"

"Well, yeah, but…c'mon, Kayl, you saw what they turned me into…what they did to my music—_our_ music. Conner was right, it just wasn't me. As much as I would love to professionally record—it's just not the same if I don't enjoy it. So…I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Me too," Kaylee nodded. "I guess I was a little sore about being forgotten, but...I saw how happy you were at first, and then how unhappy you were once they changed so much, once they like took over. I just got a little mad that you were letting them…"

"Kinda like what they did to Kylee…," Kira finished for her, and the blonde nodded again, looking a tad embarrassed. Kira smiled. "Friends?"

"Always," Kaylee grinned, hugging the dirty blonde.

"Should I ask, or just enjoy the moment quietly?" Conner spoke up as he arrived, no longer in morph. The girls laughed lightly.

"Uh, guys, not that I want to interrupt, but shouldn't Dr. O be back by now?" Ethan inquired. Their eyes all trailed up to the Aerial Assault Craft.

"He's still up there…," Kaylee whispered, and Kira, who was standing next to her, heard the fear in her voice. She was on the verge of asking what was wrong, when the stories Kaylee had told her of her Ninja Storm days clicked in her mind. _Her parents…_

Comfortingly, Kira wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "He'll make it. I prom—"

The sound of the exploding aerial assault craft interrupted her.

"NO!" Kaylee screamed, tears stinging at her eyes.

Hearing his girlfriend's sobs starting, Dustin picked up the com-link, worry filling his voice. "_Kaylee? Kayl, what's going on? What is it?"_

"Dustin…," she sobbed, using Kira's shoulder. "Dr. O…he was on the ship…"

They heard a curse word over the com-link, before the loud sound of static reached their ears. Moments later, the rocks and gravel nearby shifted and in a mini explosion of dirt, up came Dustin, caked in a soft layer of dust.

Kaylee ran to his open arms, her tears worsening. "He…he can't be gone…mom and dad…he can't do the same!" she whimpered into his yellow sweater, and although Conner and Ethan were totally lost, they quietly regarded the sobbing teen with as much sympathy as Kira.

Refusing to cry, Kira's shoulders shook, until Conner stepped forward, placing his hands there to steady her. She leaned back into him, if only slightly, because the decision they'd made still rang clear in her mind. "This is a suck birthday…"

"How come…everyone's…mourning…," a voice rasped, and they all turned to see Dr. O walking towards them, powered down and looking rather beat as he held his injured side—but _alive!_

"Dr. O!" Ethan cried, and Kaylee looked up from Dustin's shoulder, her red eyes shinning.

"You're okay!" she grinned, sprinting forth and catching the man in a hug. "You're really okay! You're not dead or kaboomed like them! YAY!"

"Whoa, easy, Kaylee," he chuckled, rubbing her back. He leaned forward, not wanting Conner and Ethan to hear him. "It's okay. I'm not going like your parents. It's alright."

He stepped back, clasping hands with the guys and getting a small hug from Kira, and Dustin took his chance to wrap his arms around his girlfriend again, giving Dr. O a slightly possessive look that said "um, mine!"

"What about Zeltrax?" Ethan frowned.

"Zeltrax…is gone," Tommy stated with a sigh.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"I, um…I owe you an apology," Kira said, finally breaking the silence that had settled in the Red Ranger's Mustang between them.

"What for?" Conner asked, taking his eyes off the road a moment to look at her.

"Avoiding you and ignoring you," she sighed. "I was handling this whole _simple _thing in a pretty immature manner."

"Kind of, yeah," he nodded, only to have her glare at him. "I mean—no, not at all! Look, I get you had a lot on your mind. Your birthday, this music thing…I understand."

"Yeah…I'm not sure what I was thinking, really," she shivered, remembering the outfit and the makeup and the hair. "No more letting someone tell me who to be."

"Yeah, especially when who are you is already pretty cool," Conner smiled, and just like that, they snapped back into the friendly banter that Xmeaster's events had disturbed.

"So, tell me, where's this surprise party taking place?" Kira asked, staring at the sunset on the nearby horizon.

"I told you, it's not a surprise party."

"Suuure, because everyone mysteriously coming up with a reason to leave right after we got back this afternoon wasn't a tip off," Kira rolled her eyes. "And the fact that you wouldn't let me out of your sight until you got a call from Kaylee doesn't seem suspicious either. Not to mention the fact that you're driving me to Blue Bay Harbor."

Chuckling, he dug into the empty space beneath the drink holders and fished out a small box, dropping it onto her lap. She frowned, picking it up. "What's this?"

"It's your birthday present."

"Oh. No-no. Nooooo," she shook her head, staring at him incredulously. "Hello, did you forget Xmeaster was two days ago? You know, where you gave me that really nice but really pricy _guitar_? For a made up holiday?"

"Yeah, and then you took me swimming, plus this," he lifted the guitar pick necklace he was wearing. "And then after at Cyberspace we…" he look she was giving was warrant enough to continue down that sentence. He coughed a tad awkwardly. "We're even."

"Yeah, so I don't need another gi—"

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I got it at a discount thrift store for almost nothing?" Conner inquired, before smacking himself on the head. She laughed.

"Sadly, it _does_ make me feel better," she snickered, opening the small yellow box. Inside was a simple silver chain, the end of which featured a yellow K. It was… "Simple," she smiled, watching as pride washed over his face. "Thank you, Conner. It's beautiful."

"No problem," he nodded, before frowning. "Man, this Cam guy lives further in the middle of nowhere than Dr. O does!"

"Aha!" Kira cried. "That's where we're going!"

She laughed when Conner cursed himself, before the car slowed down and they pulled up along the dirt road where a few other cars were parked, among them Dr. O's Jeep and Tori's blue van. Kira looked up the road to see the entrance to what looked like a basement home.

"Yet again, he surpasses Dr. O on something," Conner chuckled. "He lives in a bunker! That's worse than the bat-cave!"

Kira had to laugh, but not because she found Conner's words funny—she knew this was set up as an illusion. A handful of people she imagined were inside didn't know anything about the connection between Kaylee's past and the Ninja Academy, so something like this had been set up. It was crafty.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

Kira's eyes were wide in awe as she walked down the steps into what Kaylee called Ninja Ops in all her stories. Only, what the Yellow Ranger had seen so many times in both Kaylee and Tori's pictures or on Tommy's video diary was much different from what she was seeing.

Ninja Ops had had some form of makeover—turning it into a large space with wicked lighting, a stage full of instruments, and tables set up for a party. Cam's super computer had been completely hidden from view behind a wall, and a large group was gathered there, waiting. Kira named them off in her head as her eyes traveled the group—Dr. O, Hayley, Cam, Shane, Leanne, Trent, Ethan, Tori, Dustin and Kaylee. There was only face Kira did not recognize, and as if he could read her mind, the man stepped forward, smiling.

"So, you're the birthday girl Kaylee excitedly spoke of," he said warmly, taking one of her hands in his. "I am pleased to meet you, being the only one who does not seem to know you. I am Sensei Watanabe."

"Kira Ford," she smiled, and he stepped back so she had a clear shot at Kaylee. "So, what happened to 'I won't plan a surprise party! I promise'?"

"I didn't," the blonde grinned. "I planned a recording party!"

"What?"

"Cam," Kaylee beamed, looking at the green-clad teen. He stood up, turning on the switch that brought out not only his super computer, but several cameras around the room, all pointed towards the stage and the tables.

"No way…," Kira breathed. "You didn't."

"I did," Kaylee nodded vigorously. "I saw how happy the chance of recording made you, and I know it's something you really wanted to do. So when the whole thing bombed, and we made up, well…I called Cam! He's got the super puter, and he can not only help you record songs during our free time from school, but today, you can redo that awful video Tones Record did!"

"Actually, I can't," Kira sighed, and Kaylee's face fell.

"Well…wh-why not?"

"Because there's no way I'm going through all this without you," Kira wrapped an arm around her best friend. "Singing solo _sucked_!"

"Awww, yay!" Kaylee giggled, hopping up and down.

* * *

xX-A-Star-Is-Torn-Xx

* * *

"_**They're just words,**_**"** Kira sang, strumming along on the guitar Conner had given her. Her smile was wide as the music played all around them.

"_**Just words, you can say anything**_**,"** Kaylee continued.

_**So talk to me****  
(I swear they won't hear you)  
****I promise no one else will hear,  
****They're just words,  
****(Just tell me your fears and your dreams)****  
It won't hurt me,  
(Won't hurt me, don't worry)  
So if you wanna say something,  
Just say it, say it to me.**_

_**Whisper to me in the voice  
The one that's only heard by me  
Tell me all the things you only told me in your dreams  
Whatever you say  
I won't leave  
I won't judge you for what you believe  
Be it good or bad  
It's all the same to me**_

_**They're just words  
(Just words, you can say anything)  
So talk to me  
(I swear they won't hear you)  
I promise no one else will hear  
They're just words  
(Just tell me your fears and your dreams)  
It won't hurt me  
(Won't hurt me, don't worry)  
So if you wanna say something  
Just say it, say it to me**_

_**Oh yeah**_

_**So baby just scream and shout  
Anything to get it out  
Maybe even throw things  
Hurt my feelings  
Zip it up, said enough  
But you know it's not enough  
Don't you know by now  
Forgiveness, it's a steal  
They're just words**_

_**They're just words  
(Just words, you can say anything)  
So talk to me  
(I swear they won't hear you)  
I promise no one else will hear  
They're just words  
(Just tell me your fears and your dreams)  
It won't hurt me  
(Won't hurt me, don't worry)  
So if you wanna say something  
Just say it, say it to me**_

_**Say it to me  
Words...  
Words...  
Words...  
Say it to me  
Say it to me…**_

Ninja Ops was filled with applause as the music faded and the cameras stopped recording, the last image being that of Kira and Kaylee cheering and laughing with one another.


	25. The Passion of Conner

**The Passion of Conner.**

Kaylee's ears were bleeding. "They're _beyond_ old married couple fighting now!" she whined, walking alongside Ethan. It had been a week since Kira and Conner had made up on Kira's birthday, agreeing to try their best at being more comfortable with the whole '_simple_' thing.

Well, in Kaylee's opinion, 'their best' sucked. A lot.

And it was evidently putting strain on the both of them. And strain on Conner's brain meant he made rash and sometimes stupid decisions. Like right now.

"There she is," Conner grinned, stepping inside the school doors with Kaylee and Ethan. Due to the positively radiant smile on his face, they were expecting to look down the hall in his line of sight and see Kira—today was one of their good days.

Instead, they spotted a brunette girl putting up posters on lockers.

"Huh?" Kaylee frowned. "Did Kira dye her hair?"

"No," Conner lifted his chin proudly. "Her name is Krista Prebble."

"I know, she's in my math class," Kaylee's face soured. "That was sarcasm. As in—why are you ogling another girl when you're head over heels for Kira sarcasm."

"I am not head over—" Kaylee's glare stopped whatever lie he'd been about to cast. "Fine. I am. But because lucky me fell for the most stubborn chick on the planet, I don't have a chance in hell…"

"That's not tr—okay it is," it was her turn to stop short. "So then Krista is…what? A fling? A distraction?"

"Simple," he stated, and it was then that Kaylee understood. This wasn't just about taking his mind off Kira; this was about proving he was better at this than her.

"You might wanna have a reality check just this once," Ethan chuckled.

"Dude, don't be a hater," Conner wrapped an arm around him, grinning chauvinistically. "Just because I got the magic…"

"I agree with Ethan on this one, Siegfried," Kaylee spoke up. "Not only is this just a ploy to get your mind off Kira, but I'm in Krista's math class and she…she's pretty deep. And you're…"

"Not deep?" Ethan finished.

"I didn't wanna say it."

"You guys are supposed to back me up! Remember?"

"Hello, best friend of Kira!" Kaylee waved. "Remember?"

"Where's the love?" Conner frowned, before shaking his head. "Look, I've had my talk with Kira. I've tried, but this whole simple thing…isn't that simple."

"And this is?" Ethan inquired.

"Yep," Conner patted him on the arm. "Now observe."

He walked off, leaving the two there and heading for Krista. She was pinning up "Save the Tree" posters on a bulletin board.

"Krista, right?" he smirked, and she nodded, barely looking at him.

"Yep, that's me," she turned away, heading to pin up another poster.

"Wait!" he made her pause. She turned to face him. "I wanted to ask you about…um…your poster."

"Smooth," Kaylee commented, standing with Ethan. Sighing, the brunette passed him a copy.

"So, there's a tree that needs saving?"

"Yeah, behind the school. It's over one hundred years old and…Randall wants to tear it out to make a new parking lot!"

"That seems like such injustice."

"It's a crime against nature!"

"Environmentalist," Kaylee 'hmm-ed', looking to Ethan. "Seems familiar. Bet ya ten bucks she's also vegetarian."

"Or that her middle name is Emily," he added.

"You know Kira's middle name?" Kaylee asked, in awe. "You _are_ Mr. Computer Genius!"

"This tree has been in our ecosystem longer than any of us have even _been_ here! Dozens of creatures depend on it."

"Where do I sign up?" Conner inquired, causing Kaylee and Ethan to choke on their own spit a little ways down the hall, eyes wide.

"Really? You wanna help?"

"Yeah, just tell me what to do."

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"Isn't this exciting?!" Cassidy exclaimed, waltzing down the hill towards the old tree, followed by Devin and his trusty camera. "A real protest in our own backyard!"

"Yeah, it's such a great cause!" he nodded, watching the enthusiastic line of people holding up posters and boards that objected to cutting down the tree.

"Cause, schmauze!" she laughed. "I just wanna make the news!"

Krista stopped in front of them, holding a huge "LET THE TREE LIVE" sign and began shouting to rally the other protesters. "Okay, guys, let's g—"

"Excuse me, you're blocking my light!" Cassidy whined, wrenching the brunette out of her way.

"Cassidy, this is no place for posers. If you're not here for the tree, then move on!" Krista snapped.

"Whatever, I'll just give my publicity to someone who appreciates it!" As Krista bitterly stalked off, Cassidy found her camera man with her eyes. "Devin, come on!"

However, he was already deeply engrossed in being strapped to the tree with a handful of large, thick, ropes, and therefore did not notice her calling to him. "C'mon, guys, tie me up real good! This is a symbol of my bond with nature!"

"Ugh," Cassidy rolled her eyes and groaned, before being rudely shoved aside by Randall, clipboard and megaphone in hand.

"Get those men working! I have a permit!" she shouted angrily into the megaphone, watching as Krista, protest board in hand, stepped up before the demolition machine. A man was just firing it up. Then, he noticed the brunette stood before him, defiant to the bone.

"Hey, I got my orders!" he yelled out the window, waving them off with his hand.

"We're not moving!" Krista countered.

"I can't stand teenagers!" he muttered, getting out. Accidentally, his leg brushed against the crane lever, and it activated, dropping the large piece of the structure down at a fast pace. It was headed right for the girl!

"Krista!" Conner yelled, emerging from the crowd of protesters where he'd been with Ethan, and rushing forward—using a bit of super speed—to push her out of the way, falling onto the ground beside her. Taking deep breaths, they both rose onto their elbows "You okay?"

"Yeah…," she smiled, grateful despite their earlier argument about him using this as an excuse to get close to her. "How did you…?"

"Guess its part of being an old jock," he smirked, causing her to laugh. On the safe side of the barriers, behind the machines, Dr. Oliver approached Randall, worried.

"I think we need to talk before someone gets hurt."

"We'll talk…," she grinned slowly, a sinister look in her eyes. "There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. But…we'll have a chat." An almost-sincere smile graced her lips, before she completely dead-panned. "Then we'll resume this tomorrow."

She raised the megaphone to her lips, and Tommy had just enough of a window to cover his ears, cringing. "EVERYBODY OUTTA HERE! GO ON! SHOO!"

Through the throng of the fleeing crowd, Conner easily found Krista, and caught up to her on a pathway just off school grounds. "Hey, I want to apologize!" he told her. "I should never have said what I did."

"I don't get you…sometimes you seem really nice," she sighed, looking over at him. "Other times you're just a total jerk."

He grinned, thinking that she reminded him of Kira even more. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing, but at the moment, he didn't care. "Thanks."

"Just tell me one thing," Krista began. "Which is the _real_ Conner McKnight?"

"That's why I came back. To show you," he sighed. "Look, I know what people say about me. But, there's a lot more going on in my life."

"That tree is really important to me. I can't spend time with someone who can't take my passion seriously."

"I promise," he smiled sweetly. "As long as I'm around, nothing will happen to that tree."

Mirroring his smile, she thanked him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders. What neither realized, was that across the street, two girls their age were watching the scene unfold, guitar cases in hand—and one was struggling not to drop.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

_

* * *

Of course, they have to be __**here**__ too_…Kira thought bitterly as she and Kaylee entered Cyberspace, finding Krista and Conner seated at a table together, sharing a plate of fries. They were completely apart from Trent and Ethan, who took residence on the couch, talking.

Slowly, the girls made their way over, dropping their guitars off by the stage first. Trent and Ethan moved apart to make space, Kira sitting beside the White Ranger, and Kaylee beside the Blue. It was obvious Krista and Conner's presence was annoying Kira, but they couldn't do anything about it.

"Trent and I could refuse service and kick her out," Kaylee offered, seeing as they worked there.

"Hayley'd slaughter you," Ethan reminded her, and she frowned.

"Party-pooper."

All other ideas were drowned out Devin stormed in, rushing to find Cassidy, who stood at the counter, chatting with Hayley. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her urgently. "Where are the Power Rangers? I **have** to find them!"

"Hello? Haven't you been paying attention?" she snapped, rolling her eyes. He had gotten the attention of the four Rangers on the couch, though. Conner was lost in his own flirtatious world however, and didn't hear him.

"Yeah, but this time it's serious! I was attacked by that _freak_ Zeltrax!"

"Um…I know Devin's a little," Kaylee made a motion of her hand flying over her head, "but, this is…Emo Ken went poof!"

"He's looking for the Rangers," Devin went on hurriedly. "And it gets worse."

"How could it get worse?" Cassidy chuckled, walking away from him slowly. From her tone—she didn't believe a word of it.

"Well he stole the tree!"

"What?" Krista and Conner whirled around, exiting the little bubble world they'd been in, just the two of them. Eyes wide, Krista rose to her feet, worried.

"Where are you going?" Conner asked.

"Didn't you hear what Devin just said? I have to go there right away!"

"Krista, that's probably not a good idea," he stated, standing up.

"Okay, if you're too afraid to go with me—"

"No, I mean it's too dangerous! You let someone who knows what they're doing handle it!"

Krista didn't even dignify him with a response. She merely glared at him, shaking her head in disappointment before taking off. He went to follow her but the other Rangers walked up, stopping him.

"Dude, you know where we have to go," Ethan stated, and Conner sighed, watching the doors swing shut behind the tree-hugger. His eyes wandered to Kira next, and he was met with a cold gaze and crossed arms. Kaylee smiled over the Yellow Ranger's in an 'I-told-you-so' manner.

"Yeah, I know," the Red Ranger nodded, and it made Kaylee wonder whether he was replying to Ethan or to her. As a group they moved out, signaling to Hayley that they had Ranger business. Watching them through the back door, she sighed, looking at the flow of customers around her.

"Why didn't I hire normal kids?"

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"Zeltrax is back?" Trent contemplated aloud, standing with the other Rangers back at base. "How's that even possible?"

Kaylee looked in her pockets and then in Kira's, leaning over to whisper: "You don't think he found my gem of souls and used it to like, not die, do you?"

Kira shushed her, looking at Dr. O, who sat across from them in his computer chair. "What does he want with a tree?"

"I think I can answer both those questions," Tommy stated, turning around and typing away at his keyboard. "Hayley was looking in to it earlier." On the screen, video feed of the clearest blue-green water appeared, swirling and bubbling in a small pool, created in the large hole the old tree had left. "She thinks it must be growing over a life-force spring."

"You mean a fountain of youth?" Ethan questioned, astonished.

"Those are _real_?" Conner blinked.

"You know what that is?" Kaylee laughed, looking up at him. He glared back.

"Apparently this one is," Tommy stated, bringing their attention back to him.

"So that's what kept the tree alive so long," Kira reasoned, causing Dr. O to nod.

"Not only that—the sap…it's been nourished for years by the spring's waters, it must have amazing powers of its own."

"That must be what Zeltrax is after," Trent pointed out.

"I'd be willing to bet he's not the only one."

"Oh, look, it's Krista," Kira said bitterly, and everyone turned to see the brunette on the screen, approaching the former place of the old tree and the large pool left behind. Conner's eyes widened and he turned toe, taking off towards the exit. Normally, Kira was always the one to follow first, but she stood her ground, arms crossed, looking mighty pissed.

Kaylee, Ethan and Trent exchanged nervous glances, and it was Tommy who got up to follow the Red Ranger, patting Kira on the shoulder as he passed. He raced after Conner, stopping him in the hall just before the exit. "You okay?"

"I dunno…," he sighed, running a hand through his brown hair. Kira had told the Black Ranger before that it was a sign the young soccer star was nervous, distressed. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out for this superhero stuff."

"Still having doubts?"

"It's just when…you see someone like Krista, who believes so strongly in what she's doing or…Kira, who works so hard to convey her thoughts and tell others about the good things in life…and nothing can stop them, that, I don't know if I have that in me," Conner explained.

"You sure this is just about the superhero business?" Tommy questioned, raising an eyebrow that meant he knew what lay beneath the surface.

"Not entirely…"

He was being so brutally honest that his mentor had to chuckle. "You crack me up, you know that?"

"Glad you think my girl trouble is funny…"

"It's not that…it's just…you remind me so much of myself when I was your age. I had this ability, and raw emotion, but it took me a while to get the confidence to believe in myself…and what I was truly capable of."

"I've got confidence," Conner smirked.

"Cockiness and confidence are two different things," Tommy went on, smiling. "There's a whole world you haven't even tapped into yet! Beyond Triassic Powers and Super Dino Mode. But you gotta believe you deserve it, not to mention clear your head." He offered him support, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And when you do, you'll be blown away by what you can do."

"Guys!" Kira's voice broke them from their almost father-son moment and they rushed back, fear clouding their thoughts.

"What's up?" Tommy questioned. "Is it Zeltrax?"

"No," Kaylee wrinkled her nose, regarding the computer screen. "But it looks like some of his friends are throwing him a 'welcome back' party."

"We can handle the Triptoids," Conner stated, looking at his teammates.

"You sure you won't be distracted?" Kira muttered, unresolved tension running between their gaze. Conner opened his mouth to bite back, but Dr. O interrupted whatever dispute was about to ensue.

"Trent, stay here in case Zeltrax comes back."

"You got it," the White Ranger nodded, stepping up to the controls while the other four stood back, ready to morph.

"Ready?" Conner shouted, bringing up his morpher.

"Ready! DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"You're so predictable!" Elsa sneered as the Rangers arrived on scene, standing before a swarm of Triptoids. "I knew I could count on you to show up!"

"Guys…are you seeing double like me?" Kaylee frowned, noticing the White Ranger standing beside Elsa. "Or…has Trent gone evil again and no one informed me?"

"There's no way," Kira protested, and Conner glared at her through his mask. Giving him a warning look, she muttered: "Don't start."

Elsa grinned in such a way that told them she knew much more than she'd ever tell, before raising an arm and shrieking at the top of her lungs. "ATTACK!"

The Triptoids screeched, rushing forward. Readying themselves, the four Rangers met them, Red, Yellow, Blue and Green mixing in with the black and white Triptoids until even their brightness was overcome.

Sparks flew everywhere as the Triptoids unleashed their attacks, slicing and slashing at the Rangers. Conner was separated first, slamming into a rock as Triptoids surrounded him, taking their shots at him one after another.

Ethan leapt up into the air, beginning his somersault—but it was quickly halted when a Triptoid swung his sword upwards, slamming it into the Blue Ranger's stomach. Sparks erupted from the contact and Ethan yelped, meeting the pavement.

Kira attempted to twirl around one Triptoid, but failed with two others attacked her, twirling her in a painful shower of sparks. Kaylee was right alongside her, having tried to teleport in but failing when a Triptoid had grabbed her from behind, slamming their sword across her back.

"Forgot about me?" Tommy ran in then, morphed, Brachio Staff in hand. He ran into the swarm of Triptoids, yelling.

"What's gotten into these guys?!" Conner cried, shocked by not only their enthusiasm but also by their sudden strength. Apparently today was full of shocks. "They're on fire!"

"Maybe they had coffee!" Kaylee suggested. "Lots and lots and LOTS of coffee!"

"How about some decaf?!" Tommy exclaimed, grabbing one Triptoid in a headlock and then slapping him on the chest, right on the triangular symbol. Bright yellow lightning began to run up and down the Triptoid's body, causing it to pulse and seizure until it screamed, falling backwards.

"What are you doing?" Kira inquired, held between two enemies.

"Use your Dino Gem power," he explained, swinging his arm around another and shocking it. "It creates an energy that will deactivate the Triptoids!"

Conner was the first to follow suit, using the arm where his Dino Gem was and slamming it into the Triptoid's chest. Electricity pulsed out from there, electrocuting the white-clad enemy and flooring it. Ethan, Kira and Kaylee also did the same, destroying their opponents.

The Green Ranger giggled, wriggling her fingers after electrocuting yet another Triptoid. She made sure the boys were out of earshot, leaning closer to Kira. "I feel like the Thunder Rangers!"

"Shocking, isn't it?" Kira chuckled, causing Kaylee's laughter to worsen with such a corny joke.

Thinking quickly, Conner looked at his teammates, seeing that they were only taking one the Triptoids one by one with their Dino Gems. An idea struck him, and he grinned. "Guys, max your gem powers with Super Dino Mode!"

Exchanging glances, they nodded. "Okay." Together, they channeled their strength and power, summoning their Dino Gem abilities. "SUPER DINO MODE!"

The cries of their dinosaurs rang out in the empty parking lot: Tyrannosaur, Pterodactyl, Spinosaur, Triceratops and Brachiosaur, and the Triptoids responded with painful shrieks of agony, lighting up with bright electrical waves.

"What's going on?" The mysterious White Ranger clone inquired, but Elsa looked just as confused as he sounded. The lights around the foot soldiers worsened, until in one bright flash they were all gone, leaving five solitary Rangers in the parking lot. "Impossible!"

"Yeah!"

"Sweet!"

"Awesome!"

"Zwop!"

"You've been deserted," Tommy announced, smirking as he stood with the four excited Rangers. Elsa seemed to bristle against his enthusiasm.

"You might have beaten the Triptoids, but my master will have eternal life as soon as I get that tree!" she cackled.

"You mean like the freaky clone, who somehow came back to life?" Kaylee muttered.

"The likes of your pathetic Red Ranger weren't enough to defeat me!" the clone taunted proudly. "It's why there's only room for Ranger, and it'll be me! As soon as I get that tree, you're all finished!"

"Too late!" a warped voice stated, and they were all blown off their feet by a wave of white energy, sparks flying everywhere. "You're all too late!"

"What now?" Conner frowned, looking up.

There was a weird teleporting sound (certainly not as cool as _zwop_) and in came Zeltrax—or at least it _sort of_ looked like him. He seemed bigger now, with thicker armor. Red-themed armor. His legs, arms and chest covered in sharp spikes, not to mention his helmet, and two large green orbs adorned his helmet and chest-piece. In addition, his sword had been transformed into a spiked spear.

"Zeltrax?" Elsa gasped, eyes wide, and he turned towards her.

"Yes, Elsa, I have returned," he spoke. "And better than ever."

"Aww, Emo Barbie and Ken Shakespeare style!" Kaylee giggled, nudging Kira.

"Yeah, except Ken totally got an upgrade," Kira pointed out.

"And I am not alone," Zeltrax added, causing everyone to turn towards the edge of the parking lot, off near the clearing, where a large wormhole opened, allowing a huge monstrous tree to emerge—Deadwood.

"Krista's tree!"

"You know, it's a part of nature, so she can't really _own_ it," Kaylee stated matter-of-factly, but Conner went on ignoring her. Deadwood roared, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"Whoa, who's in charge here?" Ethan frowned, looking from Zeltrax and the tree monster, to the White Ranger clone and Elsa.

"I am," Zeltrax growled, glancing towards Elsa. "And _no one_ will stop me."

"I don't have time for this," she sneered, stepping back behind the White Ranger clone. "Destroy them all."

"Of course," he half-bowed, watching her teleport out in a flash of purple, her shriek dying out as it disappeared. Another screech was heard overhead, and the Rangers looked up to see the Dragozord, flying in alongside the Stegazord.

"Hey, Trent won't be very happy to know you're stealing his toys!" Kaylee yelled, hoping that he wasn't smart enough to summon the Cephalazord and Ankylozord they'd gotten back when Conner had supposedly killed him in Triassic mode.

"Your White Ranger is a disgrace," the clone hissed. "He doesn't deserve to be part of the same Morphing Grid as us, and once I'm finished with you, I'll erase him from it as well, allowing me to be the _only_ Dino Ranger."

He leapt up into the sky, meeting the Dragozord and going inside, where it joined with the Stegazord and formed the Dino Stegazord.

"You're mean!" Kaylee shouted after him, pouting.

"He's evil," Kira reminded her, matter-of-factly.

"I'll take care of Zeltrax," Tommy spoke up then, looking at the four Rangers, who, from the safety of masks, rolled their eyes. Hello, that's what he _always_ did! "You guys know what to do." Again—duh.

Roars echoed across the sky as the Tyrannozord, Pterazord, Spinozord and Tricerazord were called forth, followed by the lumbering Brachiozord. They formed up quickly, creating the Thundersaurus Megazord, it's four core Rangers inside.

Conner then summoned his Triassic Shield, and the three raised their Dino Gems, tendrils of yellow, green and blue energy surging forth into it. However, they did not offer all of it, since they very well couldn't power down in the Megazord while it needed them.

From there, they controlled the Thundersaurus Megazord while Conner teleported out, joining the Mezodon Rover as it transformed into the Mezodon Megazord. It took on Trent and the Dino Stegazord while the other three and the Thundersaurus took on Deadwood.

"Whoa…," Kaylee giggled. "This is the most Zords I've ever seen in one battle—EVER! THIS IS AWESOME!"

But their attack was short-lived, as Deadwood roared fiercely and floored both good Megazords—apparently it could sense its own evil kind.

"That's one tough tree!" Conner groaned, and Kaylee's voice came in over the com-link.

"_Maybe that's a sign, y'know—no tree, no tree-hugger?_" she mused.

"Shut up."

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"Conner—" Dr. O began into his morpher, only to be interrupted as Zeltrax slammed his hand over the com-link, gripping Tommy's arm tight.

"I don't think so," he hissed, pointing his spear at Tommy's throat as he tried to free his arm. But his advantage was short-lived, as a series of energy arrows barreled into him, forcing him back a few feet, sparks flying.

The White Ranger came up to stand between them, Drago Sword in hand. "Think again, Zeltrax," Trent countered.

"Thanks, Trent," Tommy nodded, and Trent zipped off to battle Zeltrax, giving him a window of opportunity. He brought forth his morpher, channeling into the com-link again. "Conner, combine all the Zords to form the Triceramax Megazord!"

"Of course!" he nodded, the controls for the Mezodon Megazord flashing all the colors of the auxiliary Zords—except maroon for the Stegazord, of course, because it was being controlled by the White Ranger clone. From over the hills came the Cephalazord, Ankylozord, and Parasaurzord.

"_ORANGE COMPADRE!_"

"Just the person I needed to speak with," Conner spoke into the com-link. "Kaylee, think you could do some Dino Whispering and get the Dragonzord over here to join up?"

"_But…but Green Buddy is supposed to make the pwetty Dragon Megazord with Trent's Zord once the clone stops hogging it!"_

"Yeah, and as soon he gets them back, I can use the Stegazord with the rest of the Auxiliary Zords…but right now I'm down one."

There was a silence on the other line, and for a moment Conner thought she was childishly ignoring him, but when the pounding roar of the Dragonzord broke the air—he knew she'd responded. "Thanks, Kayl."

The massive green Zord lumbered into view, and merged with the other Zords as they arrived, becoming one hulking leg of the Triceramax Megazord, while the Parasaurzord became the other. (Kaylee would later giggle about the mismatched green legs). The Ankylozord and Cephalazord became the powerful arms, while the Mezodon Rover completed the rest.

"Sweet!" Ethan looked on in awe.

"Now that's a Zord!" Kira grinned.

"It's half-mine," Kaylee stated proudly, making the other two chuckle.

"_You're going down, tree_," Conner's voice came in over the com-link, confident and daring. They watched as the clone and his Dino Stegazord stepped forward, only to be slashed by the Triceramax's axe, falling back. Deadwood was next, taking a direct hit from the tail of the Ankylozord arm. "_Turbo Fire!"_

The Triceramax pointed the Cephalazord arm forward, charging a massive laser. It fired off several blasts, pounding into Deadwood and the Dino Stegazord. The latter teleported out, leaving Kaylee to cluck like a chicken in his wake. Deadwood sparked dangerously; blue lightning coursing through its body. Suddenly, it roared, exploding in a shower of energy and sparks. Branches fell, littering the parking lot around the White and Black Rangers and Zeltrax.

"My tree!" Zeltrax yelled.

"Oh yeah!" Conner pumped his fist into the air triumphantly, the Triceramax Megazord standing ominously beside the Thundersaurus Megazord. On the ground below, Zeltrax took out Trent with a move of his spear, followed by Tommy, and stepped back, just as the other Rangers came in, the four standing protectively before the other two.

"You played right into my hands," Zeltrax stated, picking up a large piece of the tree. "Eternal life is mine!" With that, he blasted the Rangers one final time, right off their feet, before teleporting away in a bright flash of dark red and purple.

"What a nut," Ethan muttered, standing up with the others. They powered down.

"Yeah, I mean, it's only a tree," Kaylee chuckled, but this seemed to strike Conner more.

"Tree…I gotta call Krista!" he blurted out, taking off as fast as he could without using his powers. The Yellow Ranger watched him leave, a twinge of sadness striking her stubborn heart. She crossed her arms, determined not to care.

However, Kaylee wouldn't allow it.

"I know just what you need!" she grinned, taking Kira's arm and beginning to pull her away.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"Shoppers?" Kira frowned, staring at the building before her. "Kaylee, if you're planning on dragging me in there to get anti-depressants, I'm going to kill you."

"Kira, shh, they might hear you say such things and take you seriously!" she pointed towards the police station attached to the end of the small strip-mall. Before Kira could protest any longer, the blonde dragged her inside.

The Yellow Ranger had always figured that taking Kaylee into a candy store would be brutal—she had never opted to replace 'candy store' with 'Shopper's Drug Mart' but was now seriously considering it. The Green Ranger was buzzing around the store, giggling at everything she possibly could, sticking to the stuffed animal and toy aisles.

Trying to make the best of their visit, Kira decided to at least pick up a little something she knew she'd need soon enough, say in two weeks, when Kaylee turned eighteen. She had already begun planning the celebrations with Dustin and Tori, whom Sensei had promised a day off to. They'd be waiting at Cyberspace, having decorated everything, for when Kira, Kaylee, Trent, Conner and Ethan returned from their museum fieldtrip that morning—museum fieldtrip, boring, but the rest of the day off? Promising.

The only thing she was missing was a card.

And she was just reaching for a funny one with a duck on it when something poked her in the side. She turned; eyes narrowed, and found a sheepishly grinning Kaylee there, holding two large plush roses in her hand. One was blue and the other was yellow. They were glittery, the tops covered in a thin layer of plastic.

"En guarde!" Kaylee giggled, holding the yellow one towards Kira. Hesitantly, she took it, knowing no good could come of this. Seconds later, the blue one came hurtling towards her at the hands of a giggling teen.

She blocked it with the yellow rose, and then it was on. The two girls were off, dueling with plastic plush roses, with no one around to stop them. The cashier—a woman in her late 40's—watched on, smiling.

Several minutes later, they declared a tie, having inflicted 'too many wounds to count' on one another, and put away the roses in the bin Kaylee had gotten them from. Both girls were smiling, and Kira had to admit this hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"Told ya," Kaylee nodded, skipping off down an aisle towards some stuffed animals and toys. She stopped in front of what looked like plates, and picked up three, grinning. She turned towards Kira, holding up the first. _I LOVE YOU._

"I love you too," the Yellow Ranger chuckled, replying to the message written on the plate. Kaylee giggled, putting it back on the shelf and showing the next one. _HUG ME._

Playing along, Kira smiled, stepping forward to hug her friend. When she stepped back, the plate had been put aside and the third one was facing her, held by a blonde barely containing her laughter. _KISS ME._

The glare the Ptera Ranger directed at her was enough for her to put the plate at the bottom of the pile, almost afraid of it now. She then acted unfazed, continuing to skip down the aisle. She glanced to the left and stopped dead in her tracks, mouth agape. Her hand motioned towards Kira, slowly waving her forward. Shaking her head, amused, Kira joined her.

"What is it now?"

The blonde reached forward, picking up a DVD off the rack, and turned it towards Kira, her mischievous smile growing as she tried to contain her laughter. Kira's eyes widened at first when she read the title, and she grabbed it from Kaylee, reading the back. Slowly, she too began to smile, holding back ripples of laughter.

It then became too much and together, they unleashed a fit of giggles that filled the aisle, and probably the store, trying very hard not to fall over. "We are SO buying this!" Kaylee stated, grabbing it back from Kira and holding it under her arm. "I mean, did you _see_ their outfits?"

"They look like life-size plastic action figures," Kira pointed out.

"Yeah, Ninjas do _not_ dress like that! No way!" Kaylee shook her head vigorously, defending her former school. "And seriously. Ape, Crane and Frog? The Hell?"

"What the zwop were they thinking?" Kira suggested through her laughter, causing Kaylee to smile even wider and hope a few times at the use of her own language. She picked up a stuffed Frog from the shelf beside her, eliciting more laughter.

"Egg salad!" she nodded, confident enough to know Kira knew what that meant—_exactly._

As happy and giggly as they were, it all ended when two brunets entered the store, in the midst of a fit of laughter themselves. Kira's smile fell, and Kaylee was glad she'd taken back the DVD, because she was quite sure the dirty blonde would've dropped it then.

Anger bubbled beneath the surface as she watched the two, _his_ arm around _her_. Doom came to the stuffed Frog in her hands, as she began to twist its neck quite strongly. Kaylee noticed this, and her eyes widened. "No, not Adam!" she exclaimed, snatching it from her best friend's hands before any more harm could come to it. Her cries drew the attention of those who'd just come into the store, and Kira's eyes met Conner's for a moment.

He almost wanted to wave them over, but the look in Kira's eyes stopped him. Unfortunately, Krista noticed them as well, and smiling, she dragged him over with her. "Kira, Kaylee, hi," she greeted. "What are you two doing here?"

"Leaving," Kira snapped, brushing past the duo and leaving the store, allowing the door to slam shut behind her. Conner and Kaylee cringed, and Krista was left to stare after her, puzzled by her frosty behavior. The look the other two exchanged meant they knew _egg salad_ what was up.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

There was nothing left anymore. Nothing more than a giant gaping hole, filled with murky waters, swirling dangerously.

Kira stared at the former resting place of the old tree, almost sympathetically, and cursed how her brain teasingly remarked that this place was much like her heart at the moment. She was mad—no way should she feel this way.

They had agreed nothing would come of this _chemistry_ between them, and she was getting tired of the feelings that contradicted that. She was mad at herself, if anything, for letting it show. For letting him get to her the way he was.

"Stupid Conner," she muttered, fists clenching.

"On the contrary," a warped voice reached her ears, and she turned to see Zeltrax there, large piece of the tree held under his arm. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here right now, carrying out my plan."

"Zeltrax," Kira's eyes narrowed at the man. "Haven't you done enough damage today?"

"I'm just getting started," he chuckled, and without warning, his free hand found her throat, holding her a good foot above ground. "Now, get out of my way."

He threw her to the ground beside the pit, kicking one of the yellow and black fences out of his path. Stepping up, he tossed the branch into the hole, watching as it fell into the murky fluid. Seconds later, streams of energy flooded forth, wrapping around Zeltrax and empowering him.

"If you wanted to dress in glitter and parade around, you could've just asked," Kira stated from behind him, now morphed. "I'd totally have talked to Cassidy for you."

"Meddling fool," he spat, summoning his spear to his hand. "You shall have the honor of being the first Power Ranger I eliminate."

"How flattering," Kira hissed, Petra Grips in hand. After a beat, she charged forward, daggers making a whistling sound as they ripped through the air, headed for Zeltrax's head. He chuckled, waiting until the last moment to lash out with his spear at incredible speeds.

He struck her in the side, managing to tear through the fabric of her suit, and Kira cried out, crumbling. She rolled as best she could, trying to push herself back to her feet, but the next blow caught her on the helmet and it was too much.

Apparently, drinking from the magical pool where the tree had once been had not only revitalized Zeltrax, but given him strength and speed beyond his normal abilities. Not to mention Kira was already emotionally drained.

She forced herself up, bringing up a Ptera Grip just in time to block another swing, this time aimed at her head. She swung the other yellow weapon sideways, raking Zeltrax's stomach with sparks. He roared, dodging to the left of her next swipe and stabbing forward with his spear. It slammed into her shoulder, eliciting a spray of sparks, before he swung in the opposite direction, this time slicing at her side.

More sparks and more pain. But it wasn't the end.

He spun, summoning all the strength he could into one final swing, and caught her dead-centre, somewhere between her chest and stomach. She gasped, feeling the pain flare out from that spot like trickling water, and she dropped her Ptera Grips.

Holding her stomach, she fell backwards, powering down. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she could barely hear the sound of Zeltrax's angry footsteps coming towards her. "I've decided against finishing you, Yellow Ranger. You'll be coming with me—a warning to anyone who crosses me."

Thinking quickly, she flipped open a small latch on her Dino Gem bracelet, making sure Zeltrax wasn't watching.

She then pressed the button it had been covering, and hoped for the best as Zeltrax grabbed her arm roughly, hauling her to her feet. "Let's go." In a painful flash of dark red and purple, they were gone.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

_

* * *

Beep, Beep. Beep, Beep._

Simultaneous red and green flashes went off in the tiny Shopper's Drug Mart, and Conner and Kaylee exchanged glances from over the birthday card stand. Krista was standing at the CD display a little ways off, and didn't hear it. They took a few steps further away from her, ducking into another aisle, and Kaylee brought up her Dino Gem bracelet.

"Dr. O, you there?" she whispered. When he acknowledged her call, she continued. "This freaky flashing and beeping got anything to do with you?"

"_Other than the fact that Hayley and I installed it, no. It's the distress beacon. Someone just activated it…the computer shows it was somewhere near your school at first, but now it's moved to a rocky area on the outskirts of the beach._"

"Who is it?" Conner asked, fear clouding his voice. Kaylee's hands were shaking slightly, and he had to guess that she too was thinking the same.

"_Kira_."

They exchanged glances, speechless. Kaylee was the first to compose herself. "I'll distract tree-girl, you go."

"But—"

"Conner," the blonde warned, sounding quite serious. "Remind me why Kira's off on her own, steaming mad, just asking for trouble?"

With a defeated sigh, he muttered his own name, and nodded, headed for the door.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

When Kira's mind returned to a conscious state, she found herself staring straight down the side of a cliff, watching as rocks and pebbles rolled by. Her ribs ached, but the fear stretching into her mind was drowning it out. If she hadn't been afraid of heights before, she definitely was now.

She felt herself move and realized that Zeltrax still held her in one arm, slowly pulling her up the cliffside with him. How they had gotten here or when was beyond her, because teleporting had caused her to lose consciousness. She could tell, however, that some form of battle had taken place on the rocky beach below during her loss of consciousness.

"That's it, lead him to me," Zeltrax whispered, and Kira scanned the area, wondering who he spoke of. It was then she noticed the red figure making his way, holding one arm like it was injured. Easily, things fell into place in her mind.

The distress beacon had worked, and made its way to the others. Conner, apparently, had found her at some point, and battled Zeltrax on the beach below to get her back. He'd been injured and Zeltrax had booked it, taking Kira with him.

She watched as he fell to his knees, having a hard time continuing. From the corner of her eye she saw a laser powering up from the edge of his spear, and it took all of her energy to summon her voice, working against the pain in her ribs. "Conner!" she screamed, but the warning came too late. A thick beam of energy shot out from Zeltrax's spear, hitting Conner square in the chest as he looked up, responding to his name.

He was thrown clean off his feet, landing in a heap. "No!" she exclaimed, her voice raspy.

Below, Conner groaned, on his knees. Tommy's words echoed in his mind. _There's a whole world you haven't tapped into yet. But you gotta believe you deserve it, not to mention clear your head. When you do, you'll be blown away by what you can do._

He grabbed fistfuls of dirt in his frustration, hearing Kira's scream in his ears. He had hurt her by pursuing Krista too soon after their resolution to keep things simple. He'd been frustrated, angry with her, and himself, taunted by their ever-present chemistry, and had needed a distraction. It had been the wrong move, and he'd known it at the time, just as clearly as he knew it now. He had pushed her to this point, and had only himself to blame for Zeltrax attacking and taking her.

But there was no way in hell he was letting it go on any longer. No way was he screwing up any further. He was gonna make this right, no matter what. He was getting Kira back, he was fixing things, and he was going to beat Zeltrax senseless for this, or else he wasn't the Red—

His fingers began to tingle, and for a moment he wondered if he'd gone clean through his spandex and hit dirt, but then it spread, reaching into the furthest corners of his body, flooding him with courage and power.

He frowned, crawling to his feet, and looked down at his hands, watching as they seemed to glow a golden-red. He felt strength calling to him, and taking a deep breath, he screamed. He screamed away frustration, pain, anger, sadness, and anything else, focusing only on his connection to his Tyrannosaur.

His eyes found Kira again, and he screamed louder, the roar of a Tyrannosaur echoing in the clearing. A bright flash of light circled around him, resembling fire, and melded into his suit. He felt energy lift within him and when he looked over his suit next; it looked like he'd gone Triassic all on his own, with some added yellow on the spikes on his arms that weren't normally there.

"Alright!" he grinned, looking down at his morpher, which had taken the shape of a mix between his Tyrannosaur and the Mezodon Rover, creating a fearsome beast. "Battelizer, power up!"

A great streak of flame belted forth from his morpher, arching high into the air above him and then circling around him. It had the head of a dragon, and roared, headed straight for him, where it twisting around his chest several times, solidifying into thick and fiery armor. His right fist covered in armor in the shape of the Mezodon Rover, his left in the shape of the Tyranno.

"Nice trick, but you're too late," Zeltrax sneered.

"Try me!" Conner dared.

"With pleasure," he retorted, outstretching the arm that held the exhausted and injured Yellow Ranger—and dropping her. Kira screamed, the wind whipping around her. She had enough energy within her to turn mid-air and unleash a Ptera Scream. It was pitiful, just a few yellow sound waves, but it was enough to dislodge the rocks Zeltrax was holding on to. He fell just like her, a little higher, but no one was there to catch him.

Conner used the Battelizer's Super Stretch ability, extending his arms with his super speed and watching long before she hit the ground. He retracted his arms, bringing Kira to him, and kneeled as he set her down, worry filling his voice. "Are you alright, Kira? Did he hurt you? I'm sorry, I really am. I never should've pushed your buttons like I did. Krista was a distraction, proof that I could do this better than you. You know how competitive I am. I didn't mean it, honestly."

"Whoa, slow down there Jockboy," she smiled, hissing in pain as she moved her ribs. "I'm fine now, and that's what matters."

"He hurt you, didn't he? _I_ hurt you," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Do not start beating yourself up over this," she scolded, patting him on the arm as she struggled to stand. He helped her up, and she smiled, motioning towards Zeltrax, who was angrily, headed their way. "Beat _him_ up."

"Deal," he nodded, and she pushed herself away, headed for cover. Conner stood up straight, adopting a fighting pose as Zeltrax neared. "Zeltrax! Don't go away mad, just go away!"

He pointed the Mezodon arm towards him, firing up a huge laser. Zeltrax had only a moment to react, leaping up and out of the way before the beam hit the ground, blowing dirt and rocks everywhere. He bolted after him, a red flash, just as the other Rangers arrived, finding Kira.

"You okay?" Kaylee asked, kneeling beside her friend. The unmorphed Yellow Ranger nodded, and they watched as Conner leapt after Zeltrax, twisting out of the man's way as he tried to spear him. Conner summoned power into his right first and turned, gaining momentum, and smashed into Zeltrax's chest, sending him flying in a burst of red and gold sparks.

He kept the momentum and power going as Zeltrax rose to his feet and slammed his fist into the ground, creating a ripple effect of fire that ripped through his opponent. A very frustrated Zeltrax powered up his spear, causing it to gain a freakish blood red glow around the edges.

Twirling it above his head, he unleashed a series of slashes towards Conner, sending waves of red energy out. The Red Ranger jumped out of the path of them, winding up behind Zeltrax. He grabbed his arms, flinging him into the air. He kicked off, following the flailing Zeltrax. He spun through the air, gaining yet again momentum and power, until he came level to the man, delivering a powerful kick in the chest.

He fell right off the cliff, arms still flailing, but it wasn't over. Conner dove after him; landing on the rocky clearing below, watching as Zeltrax plummeted into the ground, creating a crater of sparks. "Had enough?"

"Never!" Zeltrax hissed, rising again.

"You asked for it!" Conner smirked, bringing the Tyranno and Mezodon fists together to create a dragon-like orb. It glowed fiercely as he pulled his hands away, causing them to spin at inhuman speeds. "Dragon Wheel!"

It covered in layers of flame and took off towards Zeltrax, slashing at him again and again, the fiery dragon taking bite after bite. "Cannons!" Conner cried, and his armor shifted until huge cannons appeared on his shoulder plates. "Fire!"

He leapt into the air, unleashing a huge funnel of fire and cannon blast that pelted into Zeltrax until he couldn't take it anymore—the excess energy overloading him. He sparked and twitched, ultimately exploding.

As the smoke cleared, Conner heard his teammates cheering as they came up to him. Despite her weak state, Kira hugged him when he powered down. "Thank you," she whispered into his shirt, and all the bad words and pain between them was forgotten—for now.

"This is only a minor set-back," they heard Zeltrax growl, and they looked up to see him stumble into view, battered and beaten—but back in his original armor. "It's not over yet!" In a flash of purple, he was gone.

* * *

xX-The-Passion-Of-Conner-Xx

* * *

"Man, those suits are SAD!" Kaylee giggled, sitting on the Cyberspace couch that evening, watching the Might Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie DVD. "You were right, Kira, totally plastic action figures."

But the Yellow Ranger wasn't paying attention; every few minutes she'd throw furtive glances at the door, tuning out the movie, as well as Kaylee, Ethan, Trent, Hayley and Tommy. They all knew why—she was waiting for Conner. When they'd all declared they were headed for Cyberspace to watch Kaylee's new purchase, Conner had politely excused himself, saying he had something to take care of. AKA—he'd gone to see Krista.

"Kira? Come on; enjoy the plastic people with me! And Adam, the Frog!" she grinned, bringing up the plush Frog she'd bought along with the DVD at Shoppers.

"I don't think it's working," Ethan told her sympathetically, leaning over and placing a hand on the Green Ranger's arm. She pouted, crossing her arms. But the pout vanished and her finger flicked the pause button as the door jingled, a Red Ranger walking in.

Smiling proudly, he walked over, eyes only for Kira. "I'm done. No more distractions, no more trying to prove I'm better at this then you," he stated, not caring that the others were present. "Making things simple also means taking it slow. So no more tree-girl or anyone else, until we're both totally comfortable with this decision."

As the Yellow Ranger beside her smiled warmly, Kaylee silently cheered for joy—not only was there no more tree-girl, but her plans to bring the duo together were back on track!

"I'm not going to stand around and deal with you being hurt over me being a dumbass and—why is there some form of dead cat on your head, Dr. O?" His eyes had found the TV, where the image of a teenage Tommy Oliver was paused, mid-sentence, his long hair falling down past his shoulders.

"That's my hair!" Tommy scolded, causing Conner to burst into a fit of laughter. He fell onto the couch beside Kira, unable to control his amusement. Tommy glared.

And it was enough to make the tension in the room fly away, and Kaylee, seeing that the Red Ranger was comfortably installed beside the recovering Yellow Ranger, pressed Play, allowing them to continue their history lesson—and their making fun of Tommy.


	26. Tutenhawken's Curse

**Author's Note:** You guys will not believe how much I'm mad at fanfiction right now! I had this chapter finished Sunday morning at 2 AM, meaning it took me a record day and a half to write it. I was so proud of myself and decided "Okay, I have to update NOW so that when people get up in the morning, they'll have a surprise! Me finally updating again!" but no....I had to get some stupid login error for nearly four days straight -.- But it's here now, and I hope you enjoy how far I've twisted this episode to fit the world **Lily Hanson** and I have created.

P.S. The birthday girl scares me in this chapter. O.o

**

* * *

Tutenhawken's Curse.**

"Life, for the Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt, was a walk, with riches and treasure beyond the imagination!" the tour guide announced, a band of teens following close behind. Half of them were actually listening to her, while the others were staring at the magnificent things in the room…or just plain bored. "Some of these artifacts are over four thousand years old."

"Wow, look at this stuff, could you imagine what it must've been like to live back then?" Kira chuckled, nudging Kaylee with her elbow. The blonde was entranced by the artifacts around her, eyes wide.

"This. Is. AWESOME!" she twirled, giggling. Behind them, Ethan, Trent and Conner chuckled. "Wouldn't I be a cool Queen? Like, Queen Kaylee."

"It has a certain ring to it," Kira grinned.

They were nearing the end of the tour, and Kira was anxiously awaiting their trip to Cyberspace. She knew it was already decorated and everything, and Hayley had closed it to the public for the day, meaning it was a private party for them. She could already picture it, the five of them arriving to find an array of people and gifts waiting—Tommy, Hayley, Tori, Dustin, Leanne, Shane, Cam and Kelly.

Not to mention it'd be the first time she met Kelly, since her own birthday was planned in Ninja Ops and it would've been too risky (having people who didn't know like Conner, Ethan and Trent was already risky enough).

Leaving her thoughts, she tuned back into the tour guide's voice then, despite its sleep-worthy drone. "This is a sarcophagus of the Ancient Pharaoh, Tutenhawken."

Kaylee's hand rushed to her mouth, covering her inevitable giggle. Kira eyed her incredulously and sharply—a warning. The woman also shot her a glare, but continued, unrelenting. "Tutenhawken was a feared leader who was believed to have mystical powers."

Again Kaylee held back her giggle, earning another sharp glare from Kira and then the tour guide. The Yellow Ranger pulled her back behind the guys as the rest of the class dispersed, admiring the Pharaoh's sarcophagus. "What's wrong?"

"She…she said…," Kaylee managed through short, barely controlled giggles. "Toot!"

Hearing it come from her own mouth was too much for the girl, and she burst into a series of giggles, using Kira's arm as support so she wouldn't fall over. Thankfully the tour guide had finished her explanation and was moving around the group, answering questions and queries. Kira rolled her eyes at her best friend. If she didn't know Kaylee, you may not have been able to convince her that the girl was turning eighteen in just a few short hours.

"Wow, check out these hieroglyphics!" Ethan breathed, standing close to the sarcophagus. The girls wandered over, Kaylee hiccuping once with a small laugh when she heard the tour guide say the Pharaoh's name somewhere nearby.

"What's it say?" Conner questioned. Ethan was about to answer, when the tour guide, hearing a question and wanting to make up for Kaylee's laughter, positioned herself between the group, speaking obnoxiously loud.

"The legend is, that Tutenhawken—" and here she glared at Kaylee, just daring her to laugh "—was able to put hexes upon his enemies. The exact translation is unclear, but these writings are believed to be some sort of curse."

"That is so cool, I gotta write this stuff down," Ethan chuckled, almost hysterically, getting out a pencil and paper. Kaylee read over his shoulder as he scribbled down the hieroglyphics. She was so entranced by the drawings that she didn't notice him tense up at their proximity.

"Why're you writing it down?" she smiled.

"So I can decipher its encrypted message."

"Deci…en…what?"

"Read them," he spoke, not daring to look sideways and see just _how_ close she was. "It'll be like cracking an ancient computer code!"

"Are you sure you're not already cracked?" she frowned, poking him in the forehead.

"In other words, it speaks to his inner cyber geek," Conner chuckled, low enough so that only Kira, standing close in front of him, could hear. She smiled, looking up at him. In the two weeks since the whole Krista thing, they'd been pretty much back to normal. There was still the occasional arguing, but they wouldn't be themselves without it. Not to mention reading one another like a book.

Just like they were doing now, Kira's eyes traveling to the slightly nervous-looking Ethan, to the oblivious Kaylee, and back to Conner, her mouth tilting into a knowing grin. 'Uh-oh' she mouthed, and he sighed a tad dramatically.

"You know, I wouldn't want to be on the end of one of those nasty curse thingies," Kaylee shook her head emphatically.

"C'mon, you actually believe in that stuff?" he frowned, looking over at her. Kira and Conner rolled their eyes, almost in sync, before walking off, finding other artifacts to look at. "Do you?"

"Do you bebember the shrinking incident?" she dead-panned.

"But that wasn't really…," he trailed off, seeing the look she gave him. "Oh all right, I'll _be careful_." He waved dramatically, causing her half-glare to turn into laughter.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Okay, so, Dustin showed in time to detour her from here to the mall for her gift?" Tori questioned, meeting Kira at the Cyberspace back door as she arrived, Conner and the cake in tow. After the former Yellow Ranger had shown up and sidetracked Kaylee, the two had gone to pick up the cake, leaving Ethan and Trent to find their way over to Cyberspace.

"Yep, and he said he'd make sure to phone either you or me when they're done, so we have fair warning," Kira nodded, helping the blonde hold the door open for the Red Ranger. He walked inside, nodding his greeting to everyone and allowing Hayley and another redhead to lead him to the cake's resting place.

"How far is the mall from here?"

"Ten minutes."

After a beat, they broke into wide smiles, hugging. It had been a while since Kira had been over to Tori and Kaylee's shared apartment, not to mention visiting either hometown. In the time that Kaylee and Kira had been best friends, Kira and Tori had also developed a close friendship, brought on at first by their protective "sister-ship" for Kaylee. "Good to see you, Kira."

"You too, Tori."

"We seriously have to start hanging out without Greenie."

"Agreed."

The Ptera Ranger stepped further into the wide open area of Cyberspace, admiring the work they'd done in decorating everything. Tons of green streams hung from the ceiling, mixed with the occasional yellow, blue, red, orange or white streamers. And there was a banner hanging in the middle of it all, picturing a large duck on it, and the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" in big bubble letters.

"We tried to find streamers representing all of us," Tori smiled.

"But they didn't have black," Tommy muttered, almost pouting.

"We'll stock up come Halloween, okay?" Kira quipped.

"Glad to know I'm associated to that," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I could've said next time they're having a discount "Widow" sale," she snickered, turning to the others with a bounce in her step. "Thanks for coming, everyone." And for Shane, Cam and Leanne, she smiled an extra little bit, knowing they were aware she knew of the Academy. "I know you guys had prior engagements."

They waved it off, but it was the newest face that spoke up, chuckling. "Meh, it won't kill Blue Bay if they can't get anything surf or motocross related for a day," she shrugged, then frowned, thinking about it. "Actually…uh-oh."

"Kelly?" the dirty blonde smiled, stepping forward and offering a hand. "I'm Kira."

"Nice to meet you," she nodded warmly. "So you're Tori 2.0, huh?"

"So I've been told."

A loud beeping interrupted the conversation, and everyone turned to see Ethan sitting at the counter, typing away madly on his laptop. "Dude, _what_ are you doing?" Conner asked.

"I've only got a couple symbols left to translate!" he announced. "I'm so close."

"Symbols?" the Blue Bay residents frowned, and Trent chuckled, filling them in.

"At the museum tour today Ethan found some old hieroglyphics on a sarcophagus and decided he just _had_ to translate them. Even if the tour guide said they could be a curse or something."

"Dude, she was whack and you know it. I mean, she kept getting mad at Kaylee and got half her history dates wrong."

"You only know that because A – you're a nerd and B – you're hung up," Conner snickered, and Ethan shot him a look.

"Am not!" He turned back to his laptop, trying to ignore the soccer star.

"I'll admit that the tour lady was kind of a spaz, but Kaylee _was_ being a little giggly," Kira pointed out. "In the middle of her speech."

"C'mon, you gotta agree—Tutenhawken? Toot!" Ethan snorted. "Not the wisest choice for a Pharaoh."

"All this talk of Pharaohs and hieroglyphics has got me interested," Cam grinned, walking over to the Blue Ranger's computer. Leanne nodded, following. Kira chuckled, looking at Tori for explanation, but the former Blue Ranger merely shrugged, pretending to exaggerate the size of her brain with her hands. He admired the program Ethan was running to decipher it, but tapped the Blue Ranger on the shoulder politely, sliding the notepad over.

Leanne produced a pen from her pocket, handing it to the Samurai. As he scribbled down beneath Ethan's drawn hieroglyphics, Conner frowned, glancing at the screen over his friend's shoulder.

"Are you getting any extra credit for this or something?" he asked.

"No, it's a personal challenge. Tutenhawken may have been the King of Egypt, but I'm the King of codes."

"Actually," Leanne smiled as Cam put down the pen and pad of paper, pushing it away with a victorious smirk. "He is."

While the Blue Ranger stared at Cam, opened-mouthed, aimlessly reaching for the notebook he wasn't looking for with his eyes, Kira and Tori regarded one another, rolling their eyes. "Hey, Ethe, didn't that whack tour lady say something about a curse? Maybe you should—"

"This is about technology, research, hard facts. I don't care about some crazy legend," Ethan retorted, greedily reaching for Cam's translation, as his own computerized one was still going on strong.

"What's it say, anyway?" Kelly inquired. Now he had _everyone_ crowded around his laptop.

"**To the defilers of my tomb, I now bestow eternal doom. Gloom to you, who reads this first, upon you is the curse. What you value most, shall be mine, left to you are only ghosts**…"

"Curse…," Conner chuckled in an I-told-you-so manner.

"Ohh, dude, you're cursed!" Shane laughed. "Get away from me before it rubs off!"

"Very funny," Ethan muttered.

"Seriously, though," Kelly teased, coming forward. "What's going to happen?"

"Yeah, you gonna, like, turn into a Cocker Spaniel or something?" Conner nudged the Blue Ranger, but it caused everyone to stare at him incredulously. "What? What did I say?"

Shane began laughing then, and Conner's half-glare turned on him. "Seriously, what?"

"I get you, man. And don't worry, they give me that look _all_ the time!" he chuckled. The others exchanged glances, clearly knowing something was missing in Red Rangers nowadays (not that, y'know, half of them knew about there being _two_ Red Rangers in the room).

"Maybe he'll grow an extra head or something," Leanne shrugged.

"What about you?" Ethan protested a little too strongly. "You and Cam helped me crack it!"

"Yes, but remember what it said? It affects the person who reads it first—aka, you," the redhead smirked, causing him to bristle, leaning closer to his precious laptop as if it could save him.

"They were just silly things put on tombs for grave robbers and thieves. They don't mean anything," he stated, but the looks his friends exchanged meant they thought otherwise. He looked to Hayley, standing across the counter from him, for support. "Back me up here, Hayl?"

"Hey, most of us told you not to read it. Don't blame me if all your hair falls out," she chuckled softly, one hand up in her defense as the other slid a plate of fries towards Conner.

"You guys, listen, nothing is going to happen from reading that curse!" he protested, sitting back on the stool. His foot caught on his laptop's power cable, and tugged it forward. Gasping, he lunged for it, pulling harder on the cable and sending it flying off the counter. He dove, face-first into the tiled flooring, his laptop hitting the ground beside him and bursting into a pile of sparks and short-circuiting.

As everyone cringed (especially Cam, who Leanne had to comfortingly pat on the back as he stared at the destroyed laptop), Ethan pushed himself to his knees, gaping at his precious machine. He picked it up, looking like his pet had just died.

"Doo', wasn' tha' your new lawptop?" Conner asked through a mouth-full of fries. Kira rolled her eyes in disgust, elbowing him.

"My games…," Ethan whimpered. "My files…My life…"

"It started," the Red Ranger chuckled, patting him on the back. "You're cursed, dude."

"Would you quit it about the curse? There's no such thing!" Ethan uttered miserably, clutching his broken laptop to this chest and walking off.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"No, seriously, it's hilarious!" Kaylee playfully argued, her arm entwined with Dustin's as they walked down the street, carrying a bag or two from the mall. Cyberspace was in sight now, and Dustin couldn't wait to see the look of his girlfriend's face when everyone surprised her. "Kira is definitely Tori 2.0, like a sister to me, and then Conner's head is filled with just as much air as Shane's. Trent is like both formerly evil Thunders rolled into one, Hayley is a mix of Leanne and Cam, and Tommy…Tommy's Sensei!"

"And Ethan?" Dustin inquired, noticing in her comparison both he and Ethan had been left out.

"Um, the only option left is you, and…," her face scrunched up. "Noooooo way. OH! Oh, I know! Okay, backtrack to Hayley. She's like Leanne and _Kelly_ mixed into one, while Ethan is Cam the nerd Junior."

"And me?"

"Are you—duh!" she giggled, hugging him. "No one replaces you, silly. You know tha—AHH!"

She jumped back as a large creature shot forth from the bushes, trying to grab hold of her hand. Stepping back beside Dustin, she dropped her bag and his arm, hands shooting up to meet her chest. She breathed heavily, the shock settling in, her heart pounding.

"Kaylee?" Dustin asked worriedly, placing his hand on her arm. He remembered her panic attacks as a kid, brought on by a case of asthma that she'd developed, being a premature baby. He knew it didn't surface often, but in moments like these, or when her claustrophobia was at a high, it could often be a bad intrusion. "You okay?"

She took a few more labored breaths, but calmed down, and the fear they both possessed regarding panic attacks and asthma subsided.

"I need to speak with you, Queen Kaylee," the creature rumbled, and the Green Ranger looked up at him, frowning.

"The Hell? Tutenhawken! You're supposed to be a statue, Toot," she pointed out.

"I am very much alive," he half-bowed, taking a step towards her. "And I am glad, for I have never laid eyes upon a more beautiful lady."

"Um…thanks?" she questioned, feeling more than a little awkward.

"Your loveliness makes Cleopatra look like a homely peasant," he added, coming closer. Dustin sensed trouble, and made sure he stood protectively in front of Kaylee, glaring at the weird creature. "She cannot compare with you, Queen Kaylee."

"Hey, Toot, why'd you keep calling me Queen?" she asked.

"Come with me, and it will be your permanent title," he vowed.

"Yeaah, love to, but uh, see him?" she poked Dustin in the shoulder, grinning. "Sorry, Toot, but King Waldo rocks."

"I shall shower you with riches far beyond any this mortal can offer," he protested, coming closer. "Beyond your wildest dreams! Gold! Jewels! Servants to wait upon your every wish!"

"But I've already got one! Her name's Tori!" the blonde giggled. There was a sudden flash, and she screamed as a hand wound around her throat, the other throwing Dustin aside in a blast of energy. The Ninja rolled onto the sidewalk, dropping the shopping bag and taking up an offensive position.

"Put her down, mummy dude," he warned.

"As you wish," Tutenhawken snickered, putting the girl down. However, as he removed his hand, Dustin noticed the gleaming necklace now positioned around her neck. It was thick, made of gold plating and blue stones, and looked like it matched Tutenhawken's robes.

The Egyptian Pharaoh laughed, before a loud crack was heard and he vanished. Dustin hurried over to his girlfriend to make sure she was okay. "Kaylee? Kaylee, are you okay? Hey, answer me!"

"That's _Queen_ Kaylee to you," she stated, looking up at him with shinning green eyes. He blinked, staring down at her—um, as much as he tended to be oblivious to things, he was pretty sure her eyes had _never_ been that color. "Are you done gaping, cuz I wanna get on with the birthday here!"

As she hurriedly grabbed her things and began walking off towards Cyberspace, Dustin whipped out his phone, texting as fast as he could.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Conner, stop smiling like a retard, you're going to blow the whole thing," Kira hissed as everyone other than the Dino Rangers and Tori finished hiding, bringing gifts and things with them. The cake had already been hidden by Hayley. His smile worsened a moment, and she gave him a pointed look, slamming her foot over his.

Since they were seated on the bar stools, and his foot was perched against the metal bar—it hurt. Suddenly, he wasn't smiling anymore.

Then the doors swung open, the group was reminded of one Cassidy Cornell and the trailing Devin Del Valle as Kaylee stepped through, head held high and shopping bags carefully hanging from her wrists, a distressed looking Dustin coming in behind her.

"Um…does that look 'uh-oh' to anyone other than me?" Tori inquired, and the others nodded slowly, unable to take their eyes off the pair. Kaylee dropped her bags with a smile, making her way over to her sister.

"Yay, Victoria, you came!" she exclaimed happily, squeezing the now horrifically confused Blue Wind Ranger in a hug. Over her sister's shoulder, Tori gave Dustin a 'wtf' look, but he shrugged, lost. Before anyone could ask, Conner, as oblivious as he was in not sensing the weirdness, gave the signal to the others, who all jumped out and shouted "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAYLEE!"

The Green Ranger grinned, stepping back and bowing to her friends. "Thank you!" she threw her arms up in excitement. "A birthday greeting truly fit for Queen Kaylee!"

Music kicked in, and people began milling about, but the difference in Kaylee was not lost on them. Since most had not seen in a while, they brushed it off for now, preferring to enjoy the party with her. Kira and Tori, however, swiftly found and cornered the former Yellow Wind Ranger, who could not dig himself out of shit creek this time as their questions assaulted him.

"Why's she acting weird?"

"What's going on with my sister?"

"The Hell is that necklace? Did you give it to her?"

"Why in God's name did she use my full name?"

Glancing at one another, then back to him with a determinedly frustrated look, placing their hands simultaneously on their hips, they spoke once more: "_What happened?!"_

So Dustin explained everything in a rushed voice, afraid of the two looming figures before him. Although he and Kira usually formed the unstoppable Yellow Duo, he had to admit that teamed with Tori…well…it was _much_ more threatening.

By the time he was done, the two girls were groaning.

"What?" he frowned. "What is it?"

"Ethan," Kira replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He copied down some hieroglyphics from the tomb of the Tutenhawken Pharaoh today, and for kicks he not only deciphered the damn thing, but read it."

"Apparently it was a curse, and now he's having bad luck. Apparently, it's gotten to Kaylee too," Tori rolled her eyes. "And now my sister's Cassidy Cornell Junior."

"Not a thing to joke about," Kira gave her a look, shuddering.

"Why would Kaylee be affected by some ancient Egyptian dude who cursed Blue Boy?" Dustin frowned, looking back and forth between the two girls. Tori began to frown thoughtfully, showing that she didn't know either, but Kira…Kira had slammed her palm onto her forehead, groaning.

"Tori, you've got good memory. Mind repeating to me the last line of the curse?" she requested, sitting down on the bar stool. Tori frowned further, but complied.

"**What you value most, shall be mine, left to you are only ghosts**…" she recited, glancing at Kira. "So, what's that got to do with…Ohhhhh."

"What?" Dustin frowned. They gave him a practically twin pointed look, but it did nothing to help his confused mind. "What?"

"What. He. Values. Most," Kira pronounced slowly, emphasizing each word and watching them sink into her fellow yellow friend's brain. It took only a moment for his confused look to turn angry.

"Who wants Tricera Steaks for dinner?" he asked, craning his neck and looking towards the group of happily chatting and dancing people, trying to catch sight of his soon-to-be victim.

"Cool your jets, Dustin," Kira laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Ethan booked it after the curse set in and his laptop sizzled. Haven't heard from him since."

"You'll get your chance," Tori promised, turning to watch as Kaylee ripped the innocent Shane a new one when he 'forgot' to address her as Queen Kaylee. "Right now we have to figure out how to fix _that_."

"Without drawing to much attention with everyone else who's not aware of the Ranger business, or that we even _are_ Rangers," Kira added, making the blonde nod.

"Not to mention without aggravating my sister's snobbish situation or bringing in that whacko Pharaoh guy."

"Wow," Conner whistled, coming up as they announced their goal between them. "You guys make plans _real_ simple, huh?"

"Don't start," Kira warned.

"So how are we doing this, then?" he asked.

"It all started when he put that necklace on her, so I've got to guess it's got something to do with it," Dustin pointed out. There was a gust of wind throughout Cyberspace as a red blur cleared the space between them and the group, blowing wind at all of them as he passed by.

He returned to Kira's side, empty handed, leaving a confused party group behind that simply shrugged and continued on. He frowned. "Um, anyone else got a plan? That thing is…stuck. Like, majorly."

"It's a necklace, how can it be _stuck_?" Kira rolled her eyes, looking up at him.

"Like, I tried tugging on it at super speed and it zapped me stuck," he brought up one hand to show her, and she gasped, spotting a red welt on one of his hands.

"The hieroglyphics," Tori suggested. "That's where this started. Maybe there's something on that tomb that'll tell us how to reverse it."

Nodding, Kira continued. "Okay, we're the only four who know so far, so it has to be between us, like we decided."

"What about _reading_ the glyph things?" Conner brought up. "I don't know about you three, but that stuff was nothing put stick people to me."

"We'll worry about that when we have to."

"I'll go," Dustin offered. "I wanna get Kaylee back ASAP. But, uh, I've got no idea where to go."

"I'll go with you," Conner stated. "I remember what Ethan copied down for his weird self-challenge anyway, and I can get us in."

"Okay, here," Tori ran to get Ethan's notebook and pen from the counter, handing it to the boys. "You get those symbols while we keep an eye on her."

"Why does it seem like you've got the easy job?" Dustin frowned.

The girls turned, watching as Kaylee laughed hysterically and uncharacteristically, a slightly frightened Shane doing the chicken dance a few feet away as 'punishment' for not addressing her properly.

"Yeah…," Tori turned back to the boys, shaking her head.

"Wishful thinking," Kira sighed. "She's going to be _worse_ than the time with the meteor rock, I just know it."

"Good luck," Conner smiled sincerely, patting her on the shoulder as he and Dustin left.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Where'd you learn to pick locks like that?" Dustin asked as they slipped inside the now unlocked museum, taking careful steps. Conner grinned, putting the pen back together and handing it the former Yellow Ranger.

"Let's just say me and my brother Eric got pretty damn bored a few years back at summer camp," Conner chuckled. "And the curfew was _so_ not reasonable."

"What time?"

"Eight."

They both smirked, and the Red Ranger led him straight to the section on Egypt. Just inside the room, he paused in his step, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Dustin whispered, looking around. "Is there a guard? Do you not remember where it is?"

"No to the guard, yes to knowing where it is…," he turned to the brunet, raising an eyebrow. "I remembered something else. Something I've flunked on asking you the last couple of times you've visited."

With a nervous grin, Dustin side-stepped him, wandering into the room. "This it?" he questioned, recognizing the grey stone statue upon which the curse was written because it was shaped like a shorter version of Tutenhawken.

"Yeah, it is," he nodded, coming to lean on the pillar beside him as he began copying down the parts Ethan had not. "But seriously, don't think your subject change is gonna make me forget."

Dustin waited for the question he could no long avoid, a multitude of possible answers and excuses swimming through his brain.

"Are you Eric's Earth Sensei?"

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

The red Cyberspace doors swung open and Ethan hurried inside, looking distressed and covered in…ew, what _was_

that?

"Guys!" he exclaimed, a little freaked, before realizing the party was in full swing. "Ah, shit, I missed the surprise?"

"Told you it wasn't a good idea to leave," Kelly said matter-of-factly.

"Sorry," his shoulders dropped, and he gave Kaylee a guilty look. "My laptop was on the fritz and I had to drop it at the repair shop ASAP. I totally flunked on your birthday surprise."

"Ew," she wrinkled her nose, pointing to the other side of Cyberspace. "You wanna tell me from over there? You reek of week old fish sticks."

"All this weird stuff has been happening to me, Kaylee," he sighed. "I seriously think that tour guide lady wasn't kidding about Tutenhawken's curse! There's no other explanation!"

"You will address me as Queen Kaylee," she stated, half-glaring.

"Okay…punishment for missing the surprise part," he nodded. "I get it."

"No, she's been telling everyone that," Leanne told him. "We're not sure why."

"Because I am a _Queen_," she rolled her eyes, walking away from them and changing songs on the jukebox. "And what is this ridiculous contraption? I expected machinery higher than those of mere commoners."

"What's with her?" Ethan stepped closer to Tori and Kira as the others returned to the party (the girls had gone around telling them it was a bet Conner had made with her after visiting the museum this morning, waging twenty bucks she couldn't spend her birthday acting like an Egyptian Queen, so they were going with it). The girls pinched their noses, attempting to block out his fishy smell.

"Seriously, Ethe, did you bathe in fish oil after dropping off your laptop or something?" Kira muttered.

"I had a run-in with some T-drones," he sighed. "This curse thing is so uncool."

"We know," Tori glared, and he frowned warily.

"Huh?"

"See my sister over there?" she dropped her arm around his shoulders, directing his vision to Kaylee like a little kid. "Everyone who doesn't know what's going on thinks she and Conner made a bet that she couldn't spend her birthday party acting like a pain in the ass snobby Queen. But the real story? Well, let me ask you something, Ethan."

The dangerous tone of voice she took on when saying his name made him cringe in fear.

"What, or rather _who_ do you value most, hmm?" she inquired, and Kira gave him a pointed stare, letting him know it was now or never to fess up.

"Aw, man," he groaned, looking at the sky. "You seriously hate me today, don't you?"

"Karma for the cursed," Kira said in a sing-song voice, leading the pitiful Blue Ranger to the sofa on the other side of the room. Adopting a childish and teasing voice, she grinned. "So, how long has widdle Kaylee been your widdle cwush?"

"This is not funny, Kira."

"We think it is," Tori added, smiling. "But Dustin? Yeah, not so much."

"He knows too?" Ethan gaped. "Now I _know_ that curse is the real deal."

"Yeah, well, he's the least of your worries right now," Kira continued. "He and Conner went to see if there were any other symbols on Tutenhawken's tomb that'll help us reverse this, since we can't get the mind-control necklace off of her."

"Mind-control necklace?"

"Yeah, Dustin said that on their way here, Tutenhawken nabbed Kaylee and slapped that pretty golden-blue Egyptian necklace on her," Tori replied. "Then she started acting all weird. Conner tried getting it off at Super Speed so no one would notice, but it zapped him."

"This is totally all my fault," he moaned, leaning back on the sofa. "I gotta find a way to break that curse."

"Let's hope the guys are having some luck with their part of the mission," Kira said, standing up. "In the meantime, we've got to hold up our end and keep an eye on _Queen Kaylee_."

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Um, I don't really know what—"

"Dude," Conner chuckled, giving him a pointed look. "I heard you guys when we visited Blue Bay, remember? My brother was talking about his Earth Ninja crash test dummy, and you said you preferred to be called 'Teacher'? I know what I heard, even if I forgot about it for a helluva long time."

"Can't you, I dunno, un-hear it?" Dustin pleaded, sighing as he tried to copy down the hieroglyphics.

"If it's about the whole Ninja School secrecy thing, that's cool," Conner waved it off. "The only time I told anyone about Eric was when me, Ethan, Kira, Kaylee and Hayley watched Dr. O's ranger video thing and I mentioned my bro goes to the same school that rumor has it the Wind Ninja Rangers went to. And that's because I knew they'd keep it secret, y'know, having one themselves."

Dustin smiled at the Red Ranger's sincerity, but also his inability to put two and two together. When it came to seeing the obvious things, he and Conner had a lot in common. "You wouldn't tell anyone, seriously? Not even, like, Ethan?"

"Naw, stuff like that is practically as secret as the Ranger business," he shrugged. "Totally a 'keep-your-mouth-shut' kinda thing. Which is kinda why I already figure I'm right, since I'm always detoured when I approached the subject with you, Kira or Kay…"

He blinked a few times, and Dustin raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Conner shrugged again. "Nothing, just realized I should've known they knew, too. I know there's something you guys know beyond this that's kept secret from me, Ethe, Trent and I dunno who else, and one day I'll get to the bottom of it. But I respect the secret anyway, since it's probably pretty deep."

"Thanks, man," Dustin smiled, standing up to shake his hand. "You're seriously not as big an airhead as Kira and Kaylee say you are."

"Heh, neither are you," Conner returned the gesture. "So how good an Earth Ninja is my brother, anyway? Cuz, uh, I don't believe a word he says when he comes home to visit."

Dustin laughed. "I've gotten to know Eric pretty well since he became my student, so I've gotta say…whatever he's level or skill he tells you he's at, it's about one third from there."

"Ha, knew it!" Conner exclaimed, his voice echoing a little too loudly in the museum room. They both looked around, hoping it hadn't alerted anyone patrolling another area, but it all looked pretty quiet still. "Oops. For a second there I was worried someone might've hear—"

"Thieves! Who dares defile the Pharaoh's tomb?!" a voice yelled, and out of a flash of dust and smoke came Tutenhawken, sounding mighty aggravated.

"What, don't recognize the Earth and Speed Kings, ancient dude?" Conner smirked, standing beside Dustin and adopting an 'innocent' pose. Tutenhawken growled, recognizing Dustin, and brought his hands up in a fighting stance.

"You shall bear the wrath of Tutenhawken!" he roared, rushing towards the Earth Ninja. Being indoors, he couldn't summon his element to retaliate with, but that didn't mean he was defenseless. Kicking off with his left foot, her spun mid-air, gaining momentum. His foot slammed into the Pharaoh's head, flooring him. Dustin cheered, but it only lasted a moment, because Tutenhawken's foot swung outwards, sweeping the Earth Ninja's feet from beneath him.

He fell, hitting the back of his head on the stone floor. Cursing, he lay there, clutching his throbbing skull while Tutenhawken snickered, getting to his feet again. But Conner was between them in a flash, glaring at the Pharaoh.

"And you'll bear the wrath of the Red Ranger, dude," he stated, bringing up his morpher. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

Morphed, he summoned his blaster, pointing it at Tutenhawken. He fired off a few red-colored rounds, hitting Tutenhawken in the chest. The monster roared, summoning a golden rope and flinging it towards Conner, who it wrapped tightly around, constricting like a Boa.

"Dude…I don't…swing…that way…," Conner hissed, trying to break free. He was twirled free by his opponent, spinning into a display of clay jars—which were soon nothing more than pieces. As he rolled away from the broken vases, Tutenhawken turned on Dustin.

But he was ready, back on his feet, and grinning. He yelled around the monster. "Hey, Conner, think you can heat up the clay pieces with your super speed?"

"Not a problem, Dustin," he nodded, catching on. He jumped to his feet, running in a circle around the broken vases.

"Toot, any idea what rapidly heated clay makes?" the Earth Ninja grinned, waving a hand towards the heated blobs and Conner took a step away from them. The creature blinked a moment, taken aback by being addressed. Dustin's smile widened, and he flicked his hand towards the creature, bringing a wad of heated earthy clay down upon him.

As Tutenhawken fell, roaring in pain, the Earth Ninja chuckled. "The answer: I don't know. But I can manipulate it, and it sucks for you!"

The Pharaoh growled, twisting in the mass of hardening clay, before a loud crack erupted in the room, and all three found themselves falling from the top of a construction machine. Having transported them there, Tutenhawken was ready, and landed on his feet, but Dustin and Conner were not only unprepared, but fell from a pretty big height, hitting the ground and feeling themselves start to black out. Using the last of his energy as he powered down, Conner used the distress beacon on his morpher, before the worlds of Earth and Speed Kings went black.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Victoria, honestly, what is this thing?!" Kaylee whined snobbishly, waving her wrist in her sister's face. Her Dino Gem bracelet had begun flashing a few moments ago along with Kira, Ethan, Trent and Tommy's, so they had moved away from the group slightly, Tori following. "It won't cease this annoying flickering, and it clearly does _not_ match my necklace!"

"That's the distress beacon," Trent said matter-of-factly, before whispering to Ethan. "Man, she's really taking this bet with Conner to a whole new level, huh?"

"Yeah…," the Blue Ranger coughed.

"Something must've happened at the museum," Kira pointed out worriedly.

"Think its Tutenhawken?" Ethan asked.

"Well, we need to go check it out," Tommy stated. "This could mean trouble."

"You are _not_ leaving my birthday celebrations!" Kaylee exclaimed snidely. "I won't have it!"

"Don't worry about it, _Queenie_, you're coming with," Kira snickered, looking one arm with her friend's. Tori looped around the other, smiling.

"This whole thing with Tutenhawken is my fault, I should go…," Ethan sighed.

"You four take a look," Tommy nodded, stepping back. "Trent and I will buy you some time."

"We will?" the White Ranger frowned, only to find himself on the receiving end of an infamous Tommy Oliver mischievous smile. "Why don't I like that look…?"

"How do you feel about disappearing acts?" he grinned.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Look, it's the guys!" Tori yelled as she and the three Dino Rangers reached the top of the construction hill, spotting two brunets—one dressed mostly in red, the other in yellow—face-down in the dirt. Neither were moving for much more than breathing.

"I know Dustin's a dirt monkey, but that doesn't look too good," Kira frowned, and they rushed down the hillside (Kaylee much slower than them, whining the whole time about how unfairly they were treating her, and how she shouldn't have to endure this as Queen).

As they reached the guys and Kira flew to Conner's side, trying to rouse him, Kaylee stayed back, wrinkling her nose. "They're covered in filth. It's almost as horrid as the peasant's fishy stench," she commented, pointing at Ethan.

"Peasant?!" he cried, taken aback.

"Yes, to a Queen, that is what you mortals are!" someone roared with laughter, and from behind one of the construction machines came Tutenhawken, sounding mighty pleased with himself. "We meet at last…you are the one who defiled set me free from my tomb!"

"And I regret every second of it," Ethan muttered. "Not only have I been down on my luck, but look what you did to Kaylee!"

"I've done nothing but shower her majesty with riches of the Egyptian lore," Tutenhawken began circling them, grinning.

"You've turned my sister into a shallow snob, the kind of person she hates!" Tori snapped, standing up to the Pharaoh. "And if you don't remove your enchanted necklace and bring the real Kaylee back, you'll regret it."

"I highly doubt that. A Ninja and a Power Ranger have already tempted fate, and look at them now," he sighed dramatically, motioning to Conner and Dustin, who were still unconscious. "What makes you think you have a better chance?"

As Kira and Tori exchanged glances, grinning evilly and stepping up side-by-side, Ethan gulped, taking a step back and bringing Kaylee with him. "You asked for it, dude."

"Ready?" Tori asked the Yellow Ranger.

"Ready," she nodded, bringing up her morpher. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

As her Yellow Dino Ranger suit melded into place, Tori grabbed a fistful of her blue t-shirt, pulling her outfit off to reveal her Water Sensei uniform, black ninja costume robed lined with light blue. Ethan stood there, staring, mouth agape.

"Your sister…your sister's a…a _Water Ninja_?!" he spluttered, causing Kaylee to take a step away from him. She rolled her eyes.

"Not only do you smell of fish, but now you resemble one," she pointed out. "Of _course_ she's a Water Ninja, just as much as Dustin is an Earth Ninja. When were you born?"

"I thought…but they…this is too cool," he grinned, ignoring her comments and focusing on the fight at hand. "Tutenhawken doesn't know what's coming."

Kira rushed forward first, Ptera Grips in hand. She leapt at the Pharaoh, slashing him in the chest several times and causing sparks to fly out. He skidded backwards, hissing in pain, but she did not relent. She flipped forward through the air, over him, slashing him straight down the back as she passed. She rolled away on the ground, and as he turned to face her, Tori leapt into action.

Without her old suit, she couldn't afford to be as agile and reckless as Kira, not to mention this lovely construction site lacked the one element she could control. So she went for the good old approached—ninja streaking and beating the crap outta the opponent.

As a blue and black blur, she assaulted Tutenhawken with a series of powerful blows, causing him to grunt in pain over and over again, swiping out at a target he could not see. Grinning, she leapt up high, twirling as she came back down, smashing her foot hard into the Pharaoh's head.

He fell, and it gave Kira a chance to summon her Thundermax Saber, tossing it to Tori. They paused for a moment, nodded, and then the Yellow Ranger rushed forward again, slashing and stabbing. Once she was satisfied with the waterfall of sparks shooting from Tutenhawken's frame, she skidded backwards, and Tori fired the final blow from the Thundermax Saber.

The thick yellow laser struck him dead-on in the head, and a mountainous explosion of sparks, dirt and dust erupted, swallowing him completely.

Smirking, the girls high-fived one another, moving back towards Ethan and Kaylee.

"That…was awesome," Ethan gaped, entranced by the two. Kaylee shrugged as if it were an every-day thing to see her sister and best friend massacre an Egyptian pharaoh monster.

"I have only the best as my warriors," she smiled.

"Your best is no match for me, my Queen," Tutenhawken's amused voice filled the air, and they turned to watch him walk through the clearing dust and smoke, heading towards them.

"How?!" Tori exclaimed.

"We destroyed you!" Kira added.

"There is only one way to destroy the great Tutenhawken!" he boasted, crossing his arms in an intricate pattern that glowed golden and blue. Suddenly, a series of massive laser rings shot forward, pulsating as they rushed towards Kira and Tori.

They struck the girls in several places, leaving searing pains each time. He rippled with evil laughter, taking to the air and flying towards them. They barely had enough time to recover from the pain before he grabbed one in each arm, lifting them high into the air.

Electric waves surged through his arms, shocking the girls as he flew higher.

"Hey, let them go!" Ethan yelled, looking up.

"As you wish," he snickered, and the girls exchanged glances through their pain, grimacing.

As they fell towards the rocky cliffside, their cries drifted over to Ethan. "Stop trying to help, Ethan!"

It was obvious neither was going to rise for a while, as their limp bodies rolled down the hill, landing in the sand near Conner and Dustin. Satisfied, Tutenhawken landed by the remaining two, outstretching his hand towards Kaylee.

"I have defeated your guards, my Queen. It is time for you to come with me."

"Think again, Toot," Ethan stood in front of her, glaring.

"Remember the curse, you foolish boy," he chuckled. "What you value most will be mine, and left with you are only ghosts."

The Blue Ranger looked at Kaylee first, then at his four friends, unconscious on the battle field. It seemed the curse was coming true.

But he wasn't going down without a fight. Squaring off against Tutenhawken, he thought of a plan quickly. He smirked, showing the Pharaoh that he was challenging him. "You're not taking her without me—I'm her most trusted servant."

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"No…that definitely says 'sky', Tommy."

"Who has a graduate degree in this stuff?"

"I'm know you did. But I also know my hieroglyphics—and that one means sky, not sea. Trust me, I used to know a girl named Lani in High School, and for a history project on Egypt, she wrote her name in hieroglyphics. _That's_ how you spell it."

"What in the world are you two arguing about?" Tori groaned as she came to, her eyes flickering open as she slowly sat up. She looked around, noticing she was lying on the sofa in Cyberspace. On a nearby one was Kira, eyes closed, and sitting guard were Tommy and Hayley, a laptop balanced between them. Conner and Dustin were at the bar stools, speaking in hushed voices and covered in some ugly bruises.

She could guess that she didn't look much better.

"We're trying to finish translating the last symbols Dustin and Conner found on Tutenhawken's tomb. Leanne thinks it might be a counter-curse to the one Ethan uncovered," Tommy replied, eyes glued to the notebook and laptop before him.

"I hope it is, that way we can turn Kaylee back to normal and get rid of that freak Pharaoh," the redhead sighed. "You're the last to come to. How're you feeling?"

"Pretty crap," she mumbled, stretching. "I forgot how much a battle takes out of you." She then frowned, looking around the empty Cyberspace. "Where is everyone?"

"When my Dino Gem bracelet went off again alerting me that something had happened with you guys, Hayley and I decided it was time to find a quick excuse for everyone to clear out so we could go help."

"What did you tell them?" she asked, feeling a little bad that their friends had come from Blue Bay on a day off for Kaylee's birthday, but so much was going wrong.

"The truth—more or less," Hayley smiled softly. "We told them that much like Blue Bay, Reefside had it's own set of monsters, and one of you had phoned to say your trip to buy more party supplies had been delayed by this, but to go ahead and get the others to the next planned event."

"Next planned event?" the former Blue Wind Ranger frowned. This was news to her. Hayley chuckled.

"They just went to see a movie," she shrugged. "We didn't want it to be too far-fetched."

"Got it!" Tommy announced, and it was loud enough to not only jolt Kira awake, but draw the boys over. Conner peered over Dr. O's shoulder, frowning at the screen.

"You might wanna be careful with that. It might be an even worse curse," he warned, before blinking, and then smiling proudly. "Heh, that rhymed."

Kira rolled her eyes, sitting up with a painful grimace. "What've you got, Dr. O?"

"**Tutenhawken's power cannot be match on Earth, but only in the sea can you break the Pharaoh's curse**."

"Sky," Hayley corrected.

"Either way, that's not going to be fun," Tori sighed. "He already took us out on land."

"I can just use the Pterazord to fight it," Kira shrugged, but found that hurt her muscles, and so she vowed not to do it anymore.

"And if I'm right and it's at sea?" Tommy asked, shooting a challenging glance at Hayley. Seriously, they were having fun trying out-do one another!

"Um…yeah, then I have a problem."

"We'll take him on together," Dustin suggested. "With the Pterazord or Tori's water powers, I'm sure the four of us can figure something out to get Kaylee back."

"Alright, I'll keep working on pin-pointing her and Ethan's morpher signals," Hayley nodded, taking the laptop from Tommy. "You guys head out and I'll keep you posted."

"Alright," Conner agreed, taking the lead as Dustin, Kira and Tori followed.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"Man, why'd I have to say slave?" Ethan complained as silently as possible, taking hold of two large fanning feathers, one in each hand, and walking back towards the throne where Kaylee and Tutenhawken sat, side-by-side. His stomach was churning, just listening to the Pharaoh go on and on about the Green Ranger, but if he had any hope of leading the others here with the morpher's GPS system, he had to hold out.

If only he hadn't been forced into such a ridiculous Egyptian slave getup…

"My Queen, you deserve all the riches you desire," Tutenhawken was saying as Ethan joined them again, taking up residence in front of them and beginning to fan them with the giant feathers. Kaylee smiled, touching her necklace, her new silky green robes fitting her every movement.

"So true," she sighed contentedly.

"Once I destroy the defenders of this city, it will be ours for the taking."

"Hang on," Kaylee frowned, side-glancing at the Pharaoh. "My friends defend this city as the Power Rangers. You didn't say anything about destroying them."

"But I must crush my enemies to achieve total domination!"

"I'm not sure I agree with that."

Growling, Tutenhawken touched his neck brace, the one that matched Kaylee's, and it flashed for a moment, causing hers to do the same. Her eyes widened slightly, and she relaxed in her throne, sighing contentedly.

"We must extend our reach over this city, and the Power Rangers are obstacles to our goal," she exclaimed. "They must be taken care of."

"Kaylee!" Ethan gaped, dropping one of the feathers. "How can you say that? Your friends, your family, your _boyfriend_! They're trying to defend you from Toot, and you're just going to sit there and let him destroy them?"

"He'll destroy you too if you do not accomplish your job, servant," she shrugged, admiring her jewelry.

He was about to respond when both their Dino Gem bracelets went off, and Ethan whooped. "They're here!" he grinned. Tutenhawken growled, rising from his seat.

"Unwelcome visitors," he hissed, storming out. Rolling her eyes as if this were all such a big chore, Kaylee went to followed, Ethan close at her side.

* * *

xX-Tutenhawken's-Curse-Xx

* * *

"There he is!" Conner yelled, spotting Tutenhawken descend from the top of his large sand pyramid on the beach, flapping his large wings. He brought his morpher up alongside Kira. "Ready?"

"Ready!" she nodded, just like Tori and Dustin. As the two morphed into their Dino Ranger suits, the two Ninjas whipped off their outfits, revealing their Sensei uniforms, lined with light blue (Tori) and yellow (Dustin).

As Tutenhawken unleashed a powerful blast of energy at the four, Kira and Conner brought out their Thundermax Sabers, firing off lasers to match. They met in the middle, creating a huge shockwave that knocked them off their feet, and send Tutenhawken flying backwards through the air. Kaylee and Ethan had just arrived, and stood at the base of the pyramid, watching.

"You pathetic mortals have already tried to match me," Tutenhawken cackled. "Why do you try again? You're only going to fail!"

"Last time we went easy on you," Conner clenched his teeth, glaring. "Kira. Super Dino Mode time?"

"Agreed," she nodded, and they took a step forward, summoning more power.

"Super Dino Mode!"

Spikes grew on their costumes, and power and strength filled them. Dustin and Tori smiled, watching the two take off towards the Pharaoh, unleashing a horde of energy blasts and attacks at him from their Thundermax Sabers, but also from the Petra Grips and Tyranno Staff.

But Tutenhawken was still more powerful, sticking dutifully to the skies. He cackled maliciously, watching Kira and Conner back up until they reached Dustin and Tori.

"Okay, not even Super Dino Mode's affecting this dude," Conner sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

"The only way to stop him is the counter-curse," Tori stated. "And that's conflicting enough since we're not sure whether it's sky or sea."

"I think we can get a little bit of both," Kira grinned, and even though her mask hid her face, they could tell from her tone of voice she had something mischievous planned.

"What are they doing?" Ethan pondered, squinting against the sun to see the four grouped together, talking hurriedly. "He's going to get tired of waiting and just assault them or something!"

"Maybe if you had listened to the bitchy guard in the hall of history when she said Tutenhawken was curse, this might've been avoided," Kaylee pointed out snidely, and despite her choice of words and blunt advice, she had a point. Ethan sighed.

"I know. And I'm sorry, Kaylee. I know you probably don't realize it because of that necklace, but my stupid mistake really messed you up, and I'm sorry. I never meant for anything to happen to you, not ever," he confessed. He was about to continue when he heard Tutenhawken taunt his opponents again.

"This will be the end, Rangers!" he fired up one large blast, and let it go, watching as it ripped through the air, headed straight for the Ra—a large wall of dirt and sand came up to meet it, dissolving and deterring it into nothingness.

Dustin smiled, palm raised to face the Pharaoh. "Still wanna call me pathetic?" he grinned. With another wave of his hand, the dirt began to rise, creeping slowly towards Tutenhawken.

"You think to defeat me with sand?" he taunted. "What do you think Egypt is, boy?"

Ignoring him, the Earth Ninja glanced at Conner, who nodded. The Red Ranger took off running, kicking his super speed in gear and becoming nothing more than a red blur. He sped towards the rising pillars of dirt and detoured, creating a circling around them and Tutenhawken. He ran faster and faster, kicking up more sand as he went and it was then Ethan realized what the boys were doing.

"They're making a twister," he breathed, amazed.

As he watched, Conner raced faster and faster in a circle, and Dustin concentrated on the funnel of sand he was creating, making sure it strayed swirling and thrashing around Tutenhawken. Surprised by this sudden use of the elements and their powers, the Pharaoh had no choice but to be swept up into the tornado, flailing uselessly.

"He's stuck in the air," Kira commented, and Tori nodded, stepping up next. She looked towards the guys, one eyebrow raised.

"Ready?" she asked, and they gave their answer by sending Tutenhawken flying towards the water, a mix of Conner's sudden burst in speed in that direction and Dustin's careful flick of the wrist. Tori's hand came up next, and the water met Tutenhawken dead-on, sweeping him up into a fluid wave.

The Water Ninja swirled him around, thrashing him with wave after wave, and nodded to Kira, giving her the final cue. The Yellow Ranger took off running, nimbly skidding past the boys as she went. She reached the edge of the water and leapt forward, using her Super Dino Mode wings and gained momentum to soar towards the Pharaoh.

"**Tutenhawken's power cannot be match on Earth, but only in the sea or sky can you break the Pharaoh's curse**." She recited, and the next sound out of her mouth ripped across the airwaves, causing Rangers and Ninjas alike to block their ears. She unleashed one of the most powerful Ptera Screams ever, strengthened by her Super Dino Mode state, and the yellow soundwaves assaulted Tutenhawken, who was not only suspended in the sky, but surrounded by Tori's ever-present and manipulated water.

The counter-curse kicked in and he thrashed about, pulsing many unhealthy colors. Once Kira and Tori's powers diminished, he stayed there, suspended in mid-air, almost frozen. He gave one final twitch, a cry of agony, and burst into thousands of sparks and dust, exploding.

On the beach, the four friends cheered, high-fiving one another. They heard another cheer, and turned to see an ecstatic Kaylee running towards them, dressed in green Egyptian-style robes, and Ethan, wearing slave clothing to match Tutenhawken.

They smiled, seeing the necklace was gone from its place.

"You guys!" she exclaimed, launching herself forward and trying to wrap her arms around all of them, hugging them tightly. When she realized her arms were far too small for the four of them, she took to them one by one, apologizing as she did.

"Conner, sorry for calling you stupid and anything else mean I might've said. Tori, sorry for calling you by your full name more than once. Kira, sorry for being so mean when you were just trying to help me. And Dustin, sorry for acting like I didn't care that Tutenhawken was taking me away from you. I'm really sorry you guys, I was acting like such a…a…"

"A Cassidy?" Kira offered, smiling as she and Conner powered down. Kaylee giggled, nodding emphatically.

"Yeah! That!" then, she seemed to notice Ethan standing behind her, and she twirled. "And I'm sorry for treating you like a servant when you were being so nice to me."

"Do you…um…remember what I said earlier?" he asked, a bit wary.

"Yeah, you were saying something about a curse and something being your fault. What's your fault?"

"Everything," Dustin hissed, slipping through the group to stand between Kaylee and Ethan, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "Everything single damn thing that happened today was his fault! The curse, the bad luck, your zwopped-up personality…"

"Dustin," Kaylee began, but a look from Kira and Tori silenced her. He'd been waiting all day for this, and they'd promised him his chance.

"The only reason Tutenhawken went after you was because of this idiot," Dustin continued. "The curse said bad luck would befall him, and that the thing he valued most would be taken from him. So because he couldn't keep it together and realized that you were somebody else's girl, you wound up under some freak's spell."

As his words sunk in and Kaylee gasped, Ethan reacted the opposite. His eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, trying to square off against someone who both taller and more built than him. But with the spirit of the Triceratops within him, he wasn't backing down anytime soon.

"Maybe the reason I started caring for Kaylee so much is because the 'somebody else' she supposedly belongs to isn't around enough to do so!"

"You don't have any idea what you're talking about! If I could, I'd move here to Reefside in a heartbeat, but because my duty is to my students, I can't."

"What, you the only Earth Sensei out there or something? I'm pretty sure they could find someone better than you to teach. Someone with much less air in their head! And Kaylee can too! She can do much better than—"

But Ethan never finished his sentence, because a fist collided with his jaw. He reeled back, collapsing as Dustin shook the adrenaline shock from his hand. It might've been a rash decision to punch him, but it seemed that no one was protesting it.

Ethan pushed himself to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Chuckling, he shook his head. "Wow, that's not only is pissing off a Ninja the stupidest thing I've ever done, but it's the furthest out of line I've ever been," he stated, looking up at Dustin. "Maybe that bad luck hasn't fully worn off yet." Sighing, he continued. "Sorry for lashing out like that. I'm normally the level-headed one of the gang. I…I know it wasn't my place to say that, nor am I right. Kaylee doesn't deserve better, she's already got the right guy for her, and there's something seriously wrong with me if I don't see it."

Dustin seemed to understand this on a deeper level, as did Conner, who was nodding in the background. He outstretched his hand, grinning goofily. "I've been in your place once before, to a degree. Back before I was dating Kaylee, when she was with someone else. I know what it's like to be the third party."

"No hard feelings?" Ethan questioned, taking his hand.

"As long as there's none about the punch," he laughed, and the Blue Ranger nodded, chuckling.

From behind them, the girls exchanged glances, whatever had just transpired being totally lost on them. "Boys."


	27. Thunder Storm, Part 1

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Could it be? The well-awaited, long sought after, TEAM UP? WHY YES IT IS! Hoorah! I hope you all enjoy, and the second part is coming soon. In regards to things I've affected in the timeline (I skipped _Strange Relations_), um, yeah. It was boring as hell. So just pretend it happened, because I do mention it. There was a scene with Kaylee and Kira in it that I'll miss out on, that I thouroughly enjoyed, but Trent's episode was so un-motivating and was in the way of the TEAM UP, that I had to skip it. :P

Anyway, _ahem_, sorry. Rant over. Hope you like the team up, because a lot of work went into it, since I've modified so much of the story prior to this chapter, I had MUCH to fix compared to the episode.

* * *

_**Thunder Storm, part 1.**_

For years, humans have been tampering with the earth's resources, excavating what land they can. For years, this has become a problem for the generations of Rangers, because their excavating has had a tendency to unleash long-buried monsters. Like the museum digging up Tutenhawken, and setting him on display for someone as foolish as Ethan to come along and trigger him. Or many years ago, when a construction team uncovered Ivan Ooze and let him loose upon Angel Grove.

It seemed that nowadays it wasn't any different, as construction workers were milling about on a site in between Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside—the exact area of the Abyss of Evil. They had already carved a large gorge.

"Well, that's it," one of the workers stood, stretching. He tossed his tools aside and walked over to his co-worker. "The lines down here are fine, couldn't find a problem."

"That's weird," the other man frowned, and together, they picked up their things and began heading for their trucks. Looking over his shoulder, he signaled to the boss. "We're out!"

"Alright, see you. We'll fill them back in tomorrow," the man announced, motioning to the crack in the earth behind him. They nodded, and left. As he finished packing up the rest of his things, he headed for his truck.

He was mere feet from it when the ground began to shake, violently, and he fell to his knees, looking around. The tremor rocked the entire construction site, before a huge beam of purple light shot through the one of the openings. Slowly, it widened, until the whole gorge was opened up, smoke and eerie lights emanating from it.

The construction worker was shaking at this point, holding his things tightly to his chest and backing away, towards his truck. His back hit the vehicle and he scrambled to his feet, clambering inside just as two hands shot out of the gorge, clinging to the side.

The man drove off, while another, wearing long robes and a mask, pulled himself out of the crevice below. As he stood up, purple electricity crackled around him. Reveling in his newfound escape from the Abyss, the once-feared evil space ninja laughed maniacally.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Conner furrowed his brow in confusion, staring down at the notebook in front of him. Leaning back on the sofa, Kira sighed, chewing on her pencil's eraser as she watched the Red Ranger, wondering if their last two hours of studying was going to help him.

Hearing a voice across the room say "_Hey there_"—Kira looked up towards the counter. Leaning there was a tall guy who looked about Conner's height, if not slightly taller, with dirty blonde hair falling out from under a crimson baseball cap.

"Conner, does that guy at the bar look familiar to you?" Kira frowned, pointing to the guy with his black leather jacket sporting a crimson-colored bird design on the back.

Conner looked up as the man greeted Hayley. "You mean the one in the crimson hat?" he inquired. "Not really. Why?

"I'm sure I've seen him before," Kira frowned, staring intently. She realized, somewhere in her mind, that this was rude, but curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Well, go ask," Conner chuckled.

"I'm not just gonna go up to some guy I don't know," Kira scoffed, never taking her eyes off the stranger.

"Okay," he shrugged impatiently. "Can we get back to studying?" Turning back to his books, his lips curved upwards into a cocky smile as he knew Kira was still distracted by the guy at the counter.

He wouldn't admit it—but it was bugging him too. But not because he found the guy familiar—he couldn't care less. No, he was bugged by her interest. Although by now, it'd been a month since they'd settled into a comfortable type of 'simple', he was still unnerved by it.

Smirking with pride, he looked over. "It's driving you crazy, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yep."

Conner rolled his eyes slightly and motioned towards the counter. "Go ask."

Kira looked at him a moment—she could still read him like a book. Whatever they shared, it was still present, but it had regressed to their old flirting and teasing, so she'd pushed her feelings away. Continuing on this decision, she stood up and walked off as he watched her silently. She reached the counter, where the guy was taking a sip of water. "Hey," she spoke up, catching his attention. "Do we know each other?"

She almost cursed herself for how corny she sounded. But as he turned, looking at her carefully, and a handsome smile flashed into place—she decided corny was okay. Bright blue eyes shone out from beneath dirty blond bangs and the baseball cap.

"I don't think so," he smiled, offering a hand, which she shook. "I'm Hunter."

"Kira." She told him, but her frown never lifted. "Hunter, you just look, so familiar to me."

He paused, then took off his cap and tossed it onto the counter. "Do you follow motocross?"

"No," she shook her head slowly, despite a little bell going off in her mind. _Dustin._ "Why, is that what you do?"

Just then a young man walked over, holding out pen and paper to Hunter. "Hey," the blond greeted him, smiling. The man said something, and Hunter responded by nodding, grabbing his cap, signing it and handing it to him. "Here."

Gaping in awe, the young man scooted off happily, clutching the cap.

"Sometimes," Hunter answered Kira's earlier question, turning back to her. "It's my thing…but right now, I'm just taking time off from work to do some touring with my brother's motocross sponsors."

"Okay," Kira nodded. "So you're famous for, riding a dirt bike?"

Hunter laughed a little. "Don't be so surprised," he smiled, placing a hand on her arm as he passed her.

"Oh, no," she followed quickly. "I know it's popular—a friend of mine is totally into it. I just…didn't know you could be famous for it."

Hunter paused, turning to smirk at her, leaning in. "Well, why don't you come see for yourself? The nationals are this week at Reefside MX Park," he continued. "Bring some friends, I'll get you passes."

Kira frowned again, albeit a smile painted across her face. "Are you asking me out?"

Sitting on the couch, Conner looked up, glaring slightly at the tall dirty-blonde in obvious irritation.

"No, it's nothing like that," Hunter chuckled, but his eyes spoke different. "Look, part of being a rider is spreading the word of our sport, you know, getting people to come out who never would and all. Besides, I promised my brother that if Factory Blue let me ride with 'em for a bit, I'd bring 'em more fans. I promise you, you'll totally be into it."

Kira nodded a little. "Okay."

"Here you go," Hunter stated, fishing a voucher from his pocket and handing it to her. He made sure the touch lasted quite a bit longer than it should have, before flashing another brilliant smile and stepping back.

"Thanks."

"Cool," the dirty-blond nodded, and she easily mirrored his smile. Half-saluting him, she turned toe, walking off.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

A group of masked ninjas leapt forward, shouting and grouping together as they prepared for battle. The lines along the sides of their black uniforms were red, yellow or blue. Stepping up before them were three more masked ninjas, through their uniforms were slightly different. The colored lines were thicker, and near their throats, large symbols of their elements were fastened like emblems.

Ripping off their masks, Dustin, Shane and Tori smiled, loving their jobs at the Wind Ninja Academy. Sensei of Earth, Air and Water, respectively, they had mastered control that these young ninjas were learning quite some time ago.

Standing in a stance to mirror that of their students, they smirked, waving their pupils forward. The ninjas rushed them, and the training battle broke out. As well-trained as the students were, and as long as they'd been learning, they were no match for their teachers.

Dustin, Shane and Tori worked together swiftly, easily wiping the floor with the ninjas, and after using a few tricks they'd held onto since their old Ranger days (recently revisited helping the Reefsiders with their monster problem), they stood together, watching.

Arms crossed, they smiled as their students rose to their feet, getting ready to fight again. However, Shane raised a hand, signaling their halt. "Stand down," he instructed. "All right. How do you guys think that went?"

"Dude, we totally kicked their butts!" Dustin exclaimed excitedly, earning a look from Shane and a giggle from Tori.

"I believe he was talking to _them_, Sensei Dustin," she grinned.

As his smile faded, Dustin frowned at her, before nodding and taking a deep breath. Composed again, he fit a stern look into place on his face. "Oh, right. Sorry. Proceed."

A few chuckles erupted in the crowd of students, and a voice that could only belong to a masked Eric McKnight spoke up. "Dude, you totally kicked our ninja butts." His agreement with his Sensei elicited several chuckles from the group again, and one from Dustin—but the Air Sensei wasn't smiling.

"Thank you," he stated flatly. "All right, before your next lesson, I want you guys to think about what just happened here. You all need to consider your commitment to ninja training." He stared them down, before nodding and speaking up again. "Class dismissed."

As he they removed their masks and began milling about, he walked away with Dustin and Tori, off through the woods. The former Blue Wind Ranger frowned, ducking under a branch and looking over at the former Red Wind Ranger. "You know, Shane, you kinda sounded like Sensei back there," she pointed out.

"Almost like what he used to say to us!" Dustin added.

"Yeah, well, speaking of Sensei, wasn't he supposed to meet us here?" he asked stiffly, changing the subject.

"Think he forgot?" Dustin inquired.

"When has he ever forgotten anything?" Tori replied. "Ever?"

"You never know. Kayl said he never was totally himself after the guinea pig thing."

"Hey, check it out," Shane interrupted them, pointing towards a scroll hanging from a nearby tree. He walked over to it, squinting his eyes to read. "Tori, Shane, Dustin. Go to the highest point in Blue Bay Harbor. Meet me there at sunset."

Dustin leaned closer to the scroll, and peered at the final sentence. "Do not speak of this matter until I have spoken to you."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Later, at sunset, Tori, Dustin and Shane scaled up the hillside and soon enough, Sensei came into view. He stood on the top of the grassy rise, looking out at the beginning of the sunset.

"Sensei," Tori spoke up, and he turned to look at them as they walked closer. "Is everything all right?"

"No, Tori," he shook his head, sighing. "I'm afraid its not."

"You don't looks so hot," Dustin commented, before he remembered he was speaking to his Sensei. "I mean—no offence."

"None taken, Dustin," he smiled a little.

"So, what's up?" Shane inquired, evidently worried. They all were. Something was clearly bothering Sensei.

"He's back," the man sighed, staring out at the ocean with a somber look. "Lothor is back."

Exchanging worried looks, Shane was the first to speak up as he shook his head in doubt. "Wait, Lothor can't be back."

"We saw him disappear into the Abyss of Evil," Tori added.

But Dustin was the first to realize the gravity of their situation, because the struggle he and Tori had endured against Tutenhawken recently was still fresh in his mind. "If Lothor's really back, how are we gonna fight him with no powers?"

"Cam has been saving these for just such an occasion," Sensei explained, and he held out his hands, presenting his three former students with a small box. His face was plagued with guilt, but his tone was hopeful. He looked at each of them in turn. "Shane. Tori. Dustin. It is with a heavy heart that I must give you your new Wind Morphers."

He opened the box, revealing the yellow, blue and red morphers inside. As they each took their respective colors, Sensei regarded them seriously. "A dark cloud has descended upon us. And it is time for you to resume your duties as Power Rangers."

Dustin and Tori acted faster than Shane, a clear thought ringing in their minds—_Kaylee. Now we can really help Kaylee._

Strapping on their morphers with their Red Ranger, the trio raised their fists in synchronization. "We won't let you down, Sensei," Shane affirmed. "Let's do it!"

Acting as one, they activated their morphers, but instead of the usual reaction the devices elicited, purple electricity shot out, covering them and delivering vast amounts of high voltage energy to them.

A moment later it was gone, and the trio's faces were darkened as they looked up at the man in front of them. "Well," he began, his voice much deeper and more sinister than it had been. "How do you feel?"

"Like Blue Bay Harbor must be destroyed," Shane chuckled.

"Why stop there?" Tori snapped, grinning maliciously from ear to ear. "I want the whole _country_."

"And then the world," Dustin added, almost wringing his hands together.

Tossing the box aside, Sensei grinned. "That's what I was hopin' you'd say!" he exclaimed, his voice _drastically_ different and sporting a southern accent. Waving his arm over the length of his body, his shape became that of Lothor. "I never thought I'd say this, but it's a pleasure to see y'all!"

"And it's our pleasure to serve under you," Shane stated, bowing slightly. The others followed suit, and Lothor rippled with maniacal laughter.

"Music to my ears!" he shouted happily. Laughing louder, he glanced down beside the cliff, where the true Sensei lay, bound and gagged amongst the leaves, keeping him hidden from the Ninjas.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"What do you mean, it's 'that Hunter'?" Kira questioned, standing at the kitchen counter and fixing something for herself and Kaylee to eat. Her mother wasn't home this weekend, so she was doing all the cooking.

"Well…umm….," even with everything Kira knew, all the secrets she had entrusted her with, she was unsure about telling her the identity of the motocrosser that Kira had met at Cyberspace. "Do you remember how, before Dustin and I started going out, I told you I was dating someone else from Reefside? Someone who used to be bad, but since he'd turned good, he was really a sweetheart?"

"Yeah," she nodded absently, pouring the milk into the pot of Kraft Dinner. "One of the brothers, the Bradley's. Tori liked the blue one, and you liked the crimson—"

The pot of Kraft Dinner fell from her hand, and Kaylee thanked Sensei for training her ninja reflexes once upon a time, as she dove for it, using a little extra ZWOP to catch before it hit the ground. The milk, however, wasn't so lucky, and poured downwards, no pot to catch it, splattering on the top of Kaylee's blonde head.

Kira gasped, rushing for a towel as quickly as she could. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry!" she exclaimed, taking the Kraft Dinner from her best friend and putting it on the counter with the milk, and helping her dry off. The blonde merely giggled.

"I take it you know why I said 'it's _that_ Hunter'?" she smiled a little thinly.

Kira knew her well enough to see the strain in her smile, and hear the odd tone of voice. And it dawned on her that in all the unofficial Ranger reunions they'd had, for her birthday or Kaylee's, or just visiting in Blue Bay, the Thunders had never been present.

"He doesn't…he doesn't know, does he?" she inquired. "Hunter doesn't know you're in Reefside, or about the Ranger thing, does he?"

"No to the Ranger thing, and, well, if his Thunder students haven't kicked him on the head too much, he might remember I moved to Reefside to go to high school," Kaylee revealed.

"Oh boy…," the dirty blonde sighed. "Okay, so that explains why he was familiar to me. I watched Tommy's ranger video with you and saw the Thunders onscreen. But this brings up a problem—and not just cuz he's your ex. He might be like Conner and open his big mouth."

"Knowing him—he might."

"Then tomorrow, at the track, I'll buy you time to talk to him," Kira decided. "I'll distract the guys somehow."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Cam walked through the Wind Academy gates, only to roll his eyes as a girly voice called out his name. Instantly two girls were at his side; one had blonde hair in a pink-tripped ninja uniform, and one had brown hair in an orange-trimmed ninja uniform.

"Hey!" Kapri smiled as she and Marah latched onto his arms. "Who're you looking for?"

"Don't you guys have ninja homework?" he inquired.

"Yeah, well we finished 'cause it was like, really easy," Marah explained.

"Yeah," Kapri agreed.

"Look," Cam began, backing away. "Just go and, contact your, inner ninja."

Walking away, he nearly groaned as they continued to follow. "Hey, you wanna talk about this?" the blonde inquired sincerely. "We're family, remember?"

"Yeah," Marah nodded. "We're totally here for you, Cousin."

"Fine. Look, my father hasn't come back yet and I'm…," Cam paused, "a little worried. Ever since that whole guinea pig thing…I like to know where he is."

"Cam," Marah smiled. "Your father's like a really great Sensei, I'm sure he'll be fine!"

"Yeah," he sister concluded. "And hey, you got us in the meantime!"

Cam smiled, holding back laughter. "Very comforting," he nodded, before backing off and gesturing behind him. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

With that he was off, through the gates and out towards the forest, Marah and Kapri watching him as he went.

"You know what, he's so gonna get those worry lines!" Marah stated.

"Totally," Kapri nodded.

"Ew, gross."

"Yeah."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Cassidy and Devin walked together, him carrying his camera bag and her carrying her microphone. Passing people taking part in the action games at Reefside MX Park, and fans alike, Devin frowned at his counterpart.

"So, Cass," he began. "Tell me again why we're here?"

"To get an interview with Hunter Bradley," she replied, smiling to herself. "Look, he's the brother of famous Blake Bradley, who's supposed to be getting to the games later on. If we hook up with Hunter, he'll _totally_ introduce us to his brother. And what does that mean?"

"Uh…I dunno, you asked, shouldn't you know?" Devon inquired.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Hello! _Our_ interview! _Our_ claim to fame! _THE_ famous Bradley Brothers! _THE_ best in Moto-toss!"

"_Cross_," Devon corrected her. "Cass, its moto-_cross_."

"Yeah, whatever," she waved it off, not paying attention. "Mr. Cormier says I have to be edgier. And this is as edgy as it gets!"

"Yeah, well that's true," Devon nodded.

"Hello," Cassidy smiled as they approached the man at the entrance, and she held the pass around her neck up for him to see. "I have a press-pass. I'm Cassidy Cornell; you might have seen me on the Reefside news."

"Well," the man paused, looking at the clipboard in his hands. "Your name is not on the list. And if your name is not on the list, you have to pay like everybody else."

"What about those guys?" Cassidy questioned irritably, gesturing behind him to Conner, Kira, Kaylee and Ethan. "How did _they_ get in?"

He turned, following her finger until his gaze rested upon the four teens. "They _were_ on the list."

As he spoke, Conner, Kira, Kaylee and Ethan walked off happily through the crowds. Just then, a voice came on over the speakers.

"All right, folks. We are ready to start the first 125 moto!"

"Let's get over there!" Ethan grinned. "I don't wanna miss the start!"

"I feel sorry for Trent, he's missing it!" Conner chuckled, following.

Their White Ranger was absent today, because he was recovering. The day before, he'd defended himself and his friends against his White Ranger clone. They'd both been suffering, their powers faltering, because the Morphing Grid could no longer sustain them both using the same White Ranger powers.

And so, after an overload where he'd defeated the clone once and for all, he was resting, recovering his strength today.

As the four teens jogged off towards the track, Kaylee gulped, fearing what would come when they would finally meet up with Hunter. Would Kira manage to distract them long enough for her to warn Hunter? As they reached the edge of the track to cheer, the Green Ranger melded herself into the crowd so when Hunter looked over, he couldn't spot her.

Sitting on his bike with other riders around him, Hunter glanced over and spotted Kira and the guys. He smiled at the dirty blonde singer, signaling her with a hand as she responded with a shy smile and a wave. Grinning, Hunter put his helmet on.

"The 30 second board is up," a voice announced over the microphones. As the riders revved their engines, the 5 second board came up, before the gate came down. "And they're off!"

The voice over the radio continued excitedly over the next few minutes, as the motocrossers raced the dirt path. Finally, it ended as the crimson-clad racer crossed the banner first, braking to a halt.

"And Hunter Bradley wins again!" the radio host declared happily, as the crowd burst into cheers. Laughing as he took off his helmet, Hunter smiled.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Dad?" Cam called, making his way through the outskirts of the Academy forest. Worry painted his face as he went along—his father wasn't the only one missing anymore. Tori, Shane and Dustin hadn't shown up about thirty minutes ago for their lesson, and that was highly unusual. Prompted by this and his father's absence, Cam went looking. "Tori? Dustin! Shane! Are you out here?"

"Cam?" a voice called, and the Samurai frowned, peering through the trees.

"Eric, is that you?"

"Heya, Headmaster-dude," the McKnight twin grinned as he pushed his way through two trees, finding himself before the green-clad Sensei. "What are you doing out here?"

"I should ask you the same thing. You're supposed to be at your lesson."

"Uh, yeah…hey, look, purple stuff!" Eric changed the subject _expertly_, pointing towards a puddle of purple goo on the ground nearby, beside a crumpled and torn scroll. For a moment Cam groaned, but then he realized what the slime was, and his eyes widened. "What's wrong? Dude, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"This was at the Abyss of Evil," Cam breathed, and it was all Eric needed to know that perhaps the former Green Samurai _was_ seeing a ghost.

"Shit," the Earth Ninja cursed, turning towards the path, thoughts working in tandem with Cam. He too went for the path, and they took off running.

"The school!"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Through the forest and back at the school, a huge explosion erupted at the entrance. For a moment, they students believed their Senseis were arriving in style—Tally and Kyle actually called their teacher's names, teasing them for being late—until they saw Lothor and two menacing followers waltz in through the smoke.

Without their teachers, Cam or Sensei Watanabe around, they found themselves the school's only defense, and quickly drew their weapons, preparing to fight.

"So nice of you wall to be here to greet us," Lothor taunted, approaching them.

"Uh-oh," Marah squeaked.

"I thought you were—" Kapri began.

"Gone?" he cut in. "Destroyed? History?"

"Well…yeah," she nodded.

"Sorry to disappoint, girls," he snapped, before turning a malicious eye upon them and the ninjas. "But I'm back in black, and needless to say, I'm in a mood."

"Yeah, like that would have changed," Marah joked, smiling.

"Never could keep your mouth shut, could ya?" he growled, and her smile faded.

"Who are _they_?" Tally ignored them, referring to the monsters beside him.

"New friends I made down in the depths of the Abyss. They don't say much, but they fight like the dickens."

Suddenly a large blast went off at the entrance again, this time with the three Wind Ninjas in its wake, kneeling before the crowd. They looked up and stood, slowly, coming forward.

Marah and Kapri smiled in relief, running over to them. "Thank goodness you're here!" Marah exclaimed, grabbing Dustin's arm as her sister clung to Shane's. "Look," she pointed frantically. "It's Lothor!"

"I know," Dustin stated, smiling and brushing her off coldly. The other two followed suit, and they went to stand by the evil man. "Isn't it great?"

"G-Great?" Marah spluttered, eyes wide.

"Capture them all!" Lothor ordered.

"Gladly," Shane nodded, looking at his two friends. "Ready?"

"Ready," they grinned, and raised their morphers, just like old times. "NINJA STORM, RANGER FORM! HA!"

And once more, Red, Blue and Yellow Wind Ninja Rangers graced the grounds of the Academy. It was certainly not for the better, as they drew their swords, taking off towards their own students, battling even the likes of Tally, Kyle, Marah and Kapri.

In less time then their lesson, the ninjas were defeated, the added boost given to the Rangers by their morphed status. It probably helped that Lothor's friends joined in, firing laser blasts and causing explosions to go off all around.

Staggering, the ninja students regrouped, facing Lothor as he swept his robes aside, bringing out a large container. "Time to bottle up my troubles once and for all," he grinned, removing the cork. Laughing maniacally, he watched the students gets sucked in; disappearing in a cloud of screams and smoke.

The only two he seemed unable to catch in this blast were Marah and Kapri, who were slowly sneaking off as the Rangers powered down. "Going someplace, girls?" Lothor inquired, and they froze, turning sheepishly grins upon him.

"We're family," Marah whined as Lothor and his goons approached, menacing.

"Only by marriage," he reminded her, pointing the container at them.

"Y-yeah, but…we can help!" Kapri pointed out.

"Like you did last time?" he chuckled dryly.

"Yeah," Marah nodded, smiling, only to have Kapri elbow her. "Ow!"

"No!" her sister corrected. "No, no. Seriously, uh, we're ninjas now and we can…totally kick butt." She raised her fists in a fighting stance, and beside her, Marah struck a pose, hitting her by accident. "Ow."

"Well, you might have a point there," Lothor mused, causing delight to appear on the girls' faces. Then, the chuckled evilly, opening the container towards them. "Not!"

Swiftly, their screaming forms were sucked into the abyss.

"Finally," Dustin groaned, rolling his eyes. "Kaylee's right to call her bug head. She's nothing but a disgusting nuisance."

"Speaking of dearest Kaylee," Lothor began, tapping the top of the container and regarding his new evil Rangers. The first time, he'd used brainwashing, but that wasn't fail-safe. Oh, no. It had been broken far too easily. But mind-control? Oh yes, _that_ was genius. "Where is the girl? And the other Rangers?"

"Reefside," Dustin answered. "Unlike us, she's still got Ranger powers. Part of some new team."

"Ah, but you _do_ have powers," Lothor reminded him. "And I believe we should pay this Reefside a visit, yes? Show them what _real_ Rangers are?"

"What about the others?" Shane inquired. "Cam will be looking for us."

"Exactly. And when he finds you, it won't be very pretty, will it?"

"No, it won't," Tori smirked, eliciting evil laughter from the whole group.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Hunter and Kira walked together at the MX Park, the former Crimson Ranger (though she hadn't breached the subject yet) carrying his helmet under his arm. She and Kaylee had agreed that she'd meet him after the race and walk him back to his trailer, and that the Green Ranger would be there, waiting with the guys, so Kira could off-handedly introduce them, and then surreptitiously distract the guys.

"So," he began, nudging her with his elbow. "What'd you think?"

"It was awesome," she nodded, making his smile widen.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he told her, and she smiled back.

"Thanks for hooking my friends and I up with the tickets."

"No problem. Like I said, part of being in this business is spreading the word, y'know?"

"And here I was, thinking you were asking me out," she blushed, face-palming. "Not my most brilliant moment."

"Who says I wasn't doing both?" he nudged her again, smirking. "Which brings up my next question. Who's the dude in red you were hanging with to watch the race? Not that its any of my business, mind you."

Her face-palming worsened. "Conner McKnight," she told him, silently noting how his attention shifted when she spoke the last name. _Ah, so he knows Dustin's student, does he?_ "He's a friend, don't worry."

"Worry?" he chuckled, trying to wave it off—but like when they'd spoken at Cyberspace, his eyes spoke different. "I realize I don't know much about you, and I'd like to change that. But right now, we gotta get to my trailer before Kelly pulls a fit. She's sometimes a bit of a hothead like that."

"Kelly?" Kira frowned as they started walking towards the trailer lot. She wasn't asking for clarification on who it was, but rather had her mind wander to the Kelly she knew. She was aware of the Storm Chargers thing, and that the redhead often helped Dustin as sponsor. Would she do the same for Hunter?

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Sitting in front of her computer in the Ranger Base lab, Hayley typed away furiously. Over her shoulder, Tommy watched the screen with interest. "Hayley, you've been at this for hours," he told her. "You should go home and get some rest."

"There it is again," she stated, ignoring him as she stared at the screen. It reflected a map with several grids, and displayed whatever she told it to. She pointed to a place on the map of the nearby area. "The energy is radiating from this point."

"Blue Bay Harbor," Tommy frowned. "But that doesn't make any sense. When Cam and Leanne were here, we spoke with them about projects they're working on. There should be energy readings coming from the school, but not _that_ much."

Hayley rolls over to another desk, beginning to flip through a small notebook of hers. "I better still have number."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Cam and Eric burst through the burning gate of the Wind Ninja Academy, looking around at the wreckage and destruction that had been left by their own friends. "This is not good."

"You think?" Eric sighed, wandering into the square where today's lesson was supposed to take place. "Who do you think could've done this?"

"I'm not sure I want to know," he responded. "All signs are pointing to someone who shouldn't be around anymore."

"Mask fetish, southern accent, your dad's clone?" Eric asked, waving his hands to accompany his vague description. It brought a slight smile to Cam's lips.

"Yeah. And that's not the worst of it." At the Earth Ninja's questioning gaze, the Samurai continued. "I have a bad feeling we're all that's left."

"You're kidding."

"I haven't seen dad since this morning, and when I went looking, the students _were_ waiting here. Not to mention Tori, Dustin and Shane never showed."

"Man, we're screwed. What are we gonna do?"

"Something I hoped I'd never have to," he sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small circular object with the Academy seal on it. He held it there a moment, fiddling with it, side-glancing at Eric.

"That the secret After the Power distress beacon?" the brunet inquired, squinting at the device in Cam's hands. The samurai looked shocked, and Eric chuckled. "Please, I am the nerd of all Power Ranger fans, nor am I an idiot. Many of the guys think it's a bogus rumor you and the others used to be the Wind Ninja Rangers, but I totally know it's true. I'd never tell anyone, mind you. Not even Conner. Total Power Ranger nerd that I am."

"It…uh…yeah. It's a communicator," Cam explained, bringing the emblem up. "After we lost our powers, graduated, and went off, I designed these in case of emergency. Specifically involving my uncle."

"Well, I'd say this is totally emergency-worthy, dude," Eric nodded.

"It's happened," he spoke into the device while the Earth Ninja stayed dutifully quiet. "We need to meet."

As he placed it back into his pocket, he looked to Eric. "Your car close?"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Blake said that if he'd been free, Dustin totally could've joined Hunter," Kelly shrugged, arms crossed around a clipboard and stopwatch as she leaned against a dirt bike. "But he had some prior arrangement."

"Teaching," Kaylee nodded, causing Kelly to laugh.

"I'd love to see that. It's probably entertaining."

"It'd be…interesting," she chuckled; eyes' crossing with Conner's a moment. Dustin had told him he knew, and by the smirk he was wearing, he obviously did.

Just then, two dirty blondes walked up, one of them clad in crimson motocross uniform, the other in a yellow and black themed outfit. Her eyes brightened when she spotted the redhead with the clipboard, and she rushed over.

"Kelly!" she smiled, giving her a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"

"She's Hunter's coach," Kaylee explained, and the redhead nodded to emphasize the point. However, the motocrosser was frozen in place, staring at Kaylee like she'd just descended from another planet. The boys looked between the two, confused, and were about to ask when Kira spoke up, stepping in.

"Hunter, these are my friends, Conner and Ethan. Boys, this is Hunter," she introduced, and they all shook hands, even if the blonde's eyes never fully left Kaylee, who was attempting not to giggle. "Now, who wants to see some Factory Blue merchandise?"

She looped her arms with Conner's and Ethan's, pulling them off towards a nearby table. Laughing and understanding perfectly that the two exes had not spoken in quite some time (it was evident Hunter had no idea Kaylee was here), Kelly followed.

"Kaylee," he began. "How…?"

"I live here, remember? After graduation, I said I wanted to do my last year of high school somewhere normal. I'd been looking into Reefside High, and that's where I came."

"Oh…," he nodded slowly, before watching Kira and Kelly distract the guys. "And they're being ushered away because…?"

"We had to talk alone before meeting as a group," she explained. "They can't know I know you."

"I think that's kind of obvious now."

"Well, they can know I know you just…not from Ranger stuff. Y'know?"

"You're banned from using the word 'know' anymore," he chuckled, but her rare seriousness washed over him and he nodded. "I get it. Non-Rangers aren't supposed to know about it. Like Kelly."

"It's not that…Kira knows, it's just…," she trailed off, looking around him towards the guys as they stared at the fun motocross stuff. "I trust them and all but…I don't know how the guys would react. I think they'd treat me differently and…they're my friends."

"Kaylee, you've been here since the semester started. They don't know? You used to be so excited about re-telling our famous stories later on in life."

"Nope! I'm good at keeping a secret like that. So, will you do the same? Please?"

"Sure," he nodded, no hesitation at all, and they rejoined the others. Looking at Ethan's wide and round eyes, filled with amazement, Hunter chuckled. "See anything interesting?"

"This stuff's awesome!" Ethan grinned as the racer went over to his trailer, opening his locker on the side and tossing his helmet inside.

"Hey," Hunter called, catching Kira's attention and she walked over, trying to ignore the smiling Kaylee she passed. "What are you guys doing now?"

"Not sure," she shrugged.

"You wanna grab a bite?" he asked, and he dead-panned. "And yes, this time I _am_ asking."

She chuckled softly, but any response was interrupted by a high beep coming from his locker. He frowned, pulling a circular disc from his bag, small enough to fit in his palm, and marked with a red-on-black X. She'd seen it once before—Kaylee carried the same thing around in her wallet at all times.

So, she knew what was coming. "It's okay. We'll reschedule."

He opened his mouth to ask _how_ she knew, but spotted Kaylee over her shoulder, and put two and two together. He leaned closer; making sure the others couldn't hear him. "I take it you know what this is."

"Yep," she grinned, a full on Cheshire cat look. "It just means in a few seconds when Kaylee's goes off I'm going to have to play decoy again."

"Thanks," he nodded, and then looked up to the others. "Listen, it was really nice meeting you all. I'll see you guys later."

"Where are you going?" Kelly frowned, and he winced internally—he'd forgotten she was there.

"Um, Blake. Urgent," he only half-lied, offering her a small wave before rushing off. She called after him, sighing when it was apparent he wasn't coming back.

"That always used to happen with him and Dustin and the others at the shop," she moped. "I never found out why."

"I told you—Shane needed help with the big ones," Kaylee giggled, before a beeping noise sounded from her jacket pocket. The others looked at her expectant, and she returned a sheepish smile, acting like there wasn't a beeping noise coming from her jacket.

Pretending it was her phone, she reached inside her jacket and stepping a few feet away to "talk" to whoever _wasn't_ on the other line. "Anyway," Kira changed the subject. "That was kinda weird, huh?"

Suddenly, their four Dino Gem bracelets went off and they looked down. "Not so weird," Ethan pointed out, before noticing a lost-looking Kelly. "Alarm."

"Lemme guess, mysteriously running off?" she offered, and the guilty look they gave her cemented it.

"Let's go," Conner declared, and with that they took off, Kira grabbing Kaylee along the way. Kelly, left alone, sighed.

"Time to find something to entertain myself."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Where are we?" Eric asked once they finished Ninja Streaking away from the Academy, finding themselves in an empty street.

"Between Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside," Cam answered, and no further words were exchanged as two long streaks of lightning dropped from the sky, one navy and one dark pink. "Blake." He stepped forward, clasping hands with the shorter guy, who wore civvies and then kissing the girl on the cheek, who wore a Thunder Ninja uniform. "Leanne."

"Good to see you," they smiled, simultaneously, before they noticed Eric standing there. "Eric?"

"Hey, guys," he grinned goofily.

"Long story," Cam sighed. "Sorry to call you away from work and your race."

"No, I thought it must be important," Blake responded, and his adoptive sister nodded in agreement. She was playing with the circular Academy disc between forefinger and thumb. Even if she hadn't been a Ranger, she'd been close enough and crucial enough to their adventures that she'd gotten one. It probably helped that she was dating the guy giving them out, but still.

"I was hoping we'd never have to use these. You think it's Lothor?"

"It has to be," Cam explained. "Who else leaves purple slime in his wake?"

"You reach the others?" Blake inquired.

"Tori, Dustin and Shane are MIA, dude," Eric replied. "We're the only ones left at school."

"What about Hunter and Kaylee?" Leanne questioned.

"They're not responding."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Up on the computer screen, as the four teens gathered around Tommy and Hayley, with the new addition of Trent, were the Wind Ninjas, walking through the streets as people ran away. They were frantically screaming and flailing.

"Evil Power Rangers?" Kira frowned. "How is that even possible?"

"How can you even ask that?" Kaylee giggled, but she was silenced by an awkward look from her friend and the White Ranger. "Right…sorry."

"I thought we were the only ones left," Trent pointed out.

"So did we," Hayley responded, and Kira and Kaylee exchanged looks behind her. "There's been an evil energy surge over the past twenty-four hours. We think the Abyss of Evil has been opened up. Kaylee's mouth dropped.

In the ensuing silence, Kira looked over at Tommy, and her words only worsened Kaylee's dread. "Dr. O, you said Lothor's back?"

"Unfortunately," he nodded, making the blonde swallow hard in great discomfort. "But there's only one way to find out."

Conner straightened up, smirking. "Let's deal with these fakes."

"Trent, Kaylee, you stay here with us," Tommy stated. "This is just the kind of opportunity Mesogog would take advantage of."

"Right," Trent accepted, but Kaylee looked towards Kira, pleading.

"Um, Dr. O, wouldn't it be more helpful if Ethan stuck around? You know, to help you and Hayley with the technical stuff? We're gonna need to get some research on Lothor and these Rangers if this is real."

More than just these words was spoken between the two, shared through the look Kira gave him. She had been there alongside Kaylee, had discovered her Ranger past through his video diary, had spoken with him and Hayley about keeping the secret.

In a moment he knew that if his old Ranger friends were re-powered and turned evil, he'd want to join them and not sit around and do research on a foe he already knew everything about.

"You've got a point, Kira," he nodded, and both girls smiled, knowing he got the message.

"Yeah, go on, Kayl, I'll stay," Ethan said, a sweet grin crossing his features as he sat in the third computer chair, on Hayley's other side, and rolled up to the keyboard.

"Thanks," the Green Ranger dipped her head, expressing thanks for more than just this. She took her place on Conner's left, while Kira stood on his right, and they stepped back, raising their morphers.

"You guys ready?" he asked, only to have Kira clear her throat. He chuckled, correcting himself. "Girls?"

"Ready."

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

The three Ninja Rangers walked slowly through the streets, a party of Kelzackz and Lothor's Generals following slowly. Suddenly, the wind whipped about, the prehistoric roars ripped across the skyline. Red, Yellow and Green Dino Rangers stepped into the small street, and into their path.

"That's far enough!" Conner declared, making them stop.

"You must be lost," Shane chuckled darkly. "Cause I know we didn't invite you."

"Maybe you forgot," Kaylee stated, nothing but worry in her voice. "You're supposed to beat the bad guys, not _be_ the bad guys."

"Good, bad," Tori mused. "What's the difference? It's all about power."

"C'mon, guys, this isn't you!" Kaylee pleaded, and Conner frowned in her direction.

"She sounds like she knows them. Does she sound like she knows them to you?" he whispered to Kira, who thanked the Gods for the helmet covering, because then he couldn't see the sheepish and guilty look she was giving him. She shrugged, trying to wave it off.

"Focus, Con!"

"I guess we're gonna have to fight them," he stated, straightening up. He took out his weapon, and reluctantly, the girls followed suit. He didn't have time to ask why they were hesitating.

The three Ninjas stood still as the Kelzackz rushed forward, snarling and twisting. Walking slowly amongst them, the three Wind Rangers paired up quickly with the Dino Rangers.

Shane vs. Conner.

Tori vs. Kira.

Dustin vs. Kaylee.

There a was pause in everyone's movements before the two pairs of Rangers rushed forward, meeting in the middle of the Kelzack-invested street.

After a flurry of punches, twirls and kicks, Kira blocked Tori's punch, pausing. "I don't want to hurt you!" she explained, both because it was their job, and because Tori was Kaylee's sister and her own friend. They were close, all three, and whenever she joined them for supper or slept over, the Hanson sisters made Kira feel at home—as if she too were their sister.

"Your mistake!" The blonde hissed, taking out her sword and hitting Kira with it, slashing her across the chest. It sent the latter flying through the air until she landed in a pile of boxes, breaking them. Thankfully, no splinters broke through her suit.

Meanwhile, Shane and Conner were going at it, neither landing any successful hits on the other. One of Lothor's Generals got impatient, firing off a laser that nearly hit them both, but they were able to jump out of the way.

Shane hissed a warning to the General, telling him not to interfere again, and it was all Conner nodded need to sock him one—hitting him square in the jaw (okay, so the helmet was in the way, but it still hurt like hell).

The Red Wind Ranger turned, anger seething through his moves as he went at Conner again. He fought him back easily, but became distracted when he heard Dustin's name from a fight going on behind him.

Frowning, he turned, seeing Kaylee battling the Yellow Wind Ranger, and in that moment, he realized what Tori, Dustin, Kaylee and Kira had been hiding from them. Putting two and two together, he realized they weren't just fighting evil Wind Rangers, but Tori, Dustin and Shane, respectively. Unfortunately, he had no time to act upon this discovery, because Shane gathered all his strength into one fist and smashed it against the other Red Ranger's face. He slammed into a cart and landed on the ground with a grunt, cursing under his breath.

"Dammit, Shane, what's wrong with you, man?"

"Finally figured it out, huh? Took you long enough, loser," the wind Ranger taunted, readying his sword with a laugh. He watched the Red Dino Ranger struggle to his feet. Seconds later, he rushed forward, attacking again.

Atop a car, a little ways away, Dustin and Kaylee battled it out. The Yellow Ranger was avoiding every swing his girlfriend could throw, chuckling maliciously as he did. "Jeez, Kayl, you never shoulda left the Academy," he teased. "You've lost your touch."

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Dustin!" Kaylee stated, ducking as he aimed a punch at her head. "This isn't you! This is Lothor and his stupid mind control! You gotta stop!"

"Why should I?" he smirked, faking a punch with one hand and grabbing her with the other when she ducked away. He held onto her wrists (which had a bad history of being injured during her time as a Wind Ninja Ranger) tightly, until it hurt. "This is a lot more fun."

"You're hurting me…," she whimpered, as his strong grip tightened again. Without thinking twice, he flung her backwards through the air, and she smashed into Kira, who was pushing herself to her feet, thus flooring her again.

On the balcony of a building nearby, Cam, Blake, Leanne and Eric stood, watching the fight intently. The Earth Ninja was especially focused on the Red Dino Ranger, and although he'd never tell, he was worried about his brother.

Transporting in beside them was a crimson blur, which materialized into Hunter right afterwards. Smiling, he and his brother clasped hands together. "Hunter, am I glad to see you!"

"I got here as fast as I could, little bro," Hunter replied. "I was busy touring for _you_."

"I know, thanks," Blake nodded.

"So, what's up?" the former Crimson Thunder Ranger inquired.

"We got trouble," Cam stated. "Big trouble."

Stepping up to the trailing, they watched silently as the Ranger teams below fought.

"That accounts for everyone except for Kaylee," Leanne sighed. "Why could she be ignoring the beacon?"

"You mean you guys don't know?" Eric frowned, turning to look at them all. When he was rewarded only with four confused stares, he turned, slowly, to the fight below. He pointed to the Green Ranger currently twirling through the air, favoring her wrist. "That's why she's not answering. She's got bigger things to deal with."

"WHAT?!" Leanne yelled, and Cam shushed her, not wanting to draw attention to them. She gave him a guilty look, before rounding on Eric again. "What did you say?"

He pointed with more emphasis towards the Green Dino Ranger. "Kaylee."

"Holy…" Blake trailed off, staring at the group.

"Wait," Hunter frowned, remembering Kira introducing her friends back at the MX Park. The colors they all seemed to favor… "They're the Dino Rangers?"

"Who?" his brother asked.

"This girl I met—Kira Ford. I found out today she's best friends with Kaylee and knows about us having been Rangers with her. I only realized now the colors she, Kaylee and her friends favored." Then, his frowned deepened, and he stared at Eric. "You…"

"Twin brother, Red Ranger, Conner," Eric waved it off. "I know."

"Well, this changes things," Cam sighed, leaning over the railing again, worry filling his voice.

Below, the Dino Rangers tiredly grouped together. "They're too strong," Conner told them.

"We need to regroup," Kira stated, half because she was tired of taking a beating, and half because she could see how it was hurting Kaylee more than physically to fight her boyfriend. Together, they turned toe and retreated.

Laughing as they watched the go, the Ninjas exchanged amused looks.

"That's right!" Shane called after them. "You'd better run!"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Back at Tommy's house, the three beaten Rangers sat on the steps leading to the computer, breathing heavily. Helmet-less, Kaylee, Conner and Kira all wore bummed out expressions while Tommy stood before them. Hayley, Ethan and Trent were over by the computer.

"The important thing is that you guys are okay," Tommy stated, looking at them. "And that we learned something."

"What's its live having our butts kicked?" Conner commented wryly, despite his new discovery ringing fresh in his mind.

"No," Tommy shook his head. "That it's gonna take a lot more than what we have to defeat them."

"More?" Kira frowned. "Like what?"

"I don't know, Kira," the Black Ranger shrugged. "That's what we need to figure out."

Trent stood up from the computer chair, walking up to Tommy. "Why don't we just use our Dino Zords and kick their Ninja butts? I don't get it."

"Yeah, I'm with Trent on this one," Ethan agreed, looking to Conner for more encouragement. But the Red Ranger was uncharacteristically quiet.

"No!" Kaylee shouted, jumping to her feet. Everyone stared at her, perplexed. "Look, it's just…something's happened to them. They were never like this. They were good, kind people, who were lots of fun to hang with—like you guys. They helped each other out with their problems, offered their help to Blue Bay Harbor as Rangers and did a while lot of good in defeating Lothor! This…this isn't like them."

"How do you know that?"

"Yeah, they seemed pretty into the whole 'Evil Ranger Business' when they showed up," Conner added, chancing a glare in Trent's direction that went unnoticed by all but Kira (who rolled her eyes) and himself. But then, he remembered who they were talking about here, and grinned knowingly. "So, Kayl, how _do_ you know that?"

Kira frowned at him, wondering why he was suddenly so interested, but turned to her friend instead. "Kaylee…," she began, but the Green Ranger shook her head.

"Thanks, but it's about time I tell them," she smiled gratefully. Taking a deep breath and turning to the guys, she sighed. "Look, if it sounds like I know them, it's cuz I do."

"How?" Ethan inquired.

"Well, for one thing, I used to go to the Wind Ninja Academy with them, a student with the second-best punctuality record there," Kaylee sighed. "Those three were my closest friends."

"Go on," Conner snickered. "They're more than that."

"Why are you being so pushy?" Kira hissed, and then it hit her. "Wait, you _know_? How?"

"Duh, you two can't go round yelling out Tori and Dustin in the middle of a fight and expect me to remain oblivious!"

"What?" Trent spoke up. "Tori and Dustin?"

"You mean _they're_ the Wind Rangers?" Ethan looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. Slowly and uncomfortably, Kaylee nodded.

"Whoa…this is…huge…," he breathed.

"Wait 'till you hear the best part," Kira grinned, mostly to proudly show Conner he didn't know the _full_ story. Her smile faded moments later when Kaylee gave her a pointed look. "Right. Sorry."

"Ethe, Con, I know you guys were out looking for a portal to save Dr. O when we watched the rest of the Ranger tapes but…when we got to the Ninja Storm Rangers…there was info on the seven Rangers there."

"Seven?" Trent frowned. "I thought you said there were only six Ninja Rangers, Dr. O?"

"That was under the agreement we'd reached because Kaylee hadn't wanted to…," he trailed off, clanking at the Green Dino Ranger. She nodded. "She hadn't wanted you guys to know she'd been the Green Wind Ranger."

"WHAT?!" three male voices rang out at a higher pitch than usual.

"I thought…I thought that you'd act differently if you knew," Kaylee shrugged. "So the only ones that knew were Tommy and Hayley, because they'd put the video together."

"What about _Kira_?" Conner pointed out, directing his anger in the unfair matter at the Yellow Ranger seated a few feet away. "She just owned up to knowing by helping you, and all those other slip ups…this was why, right? This is what you, Dustin, Tori and Kira had been hiding from me, and why you were so secretive when I asked about the Earth Sensei thing."

"I found out because of the video, by accident," Kira admitted.

"Yeah, right," Conner scoffed.

"Hey! Don't get mad at me! It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"Can we not fight right now? Please?" Kira backed off, knowing how much pressure Kaylee was already undergoing at the moment having her sister and boyfriend turned evil. And Shane, but he wasn't that speshful. She figured that having the two of her friends fight wasn't going to help any.

"Look, I didn't want you guys to think differently of me, because I'd been a Ranger before," Kaylee told the guys. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"What gave you that idea?" Ethan frowned.

"Your reaction when you found out Dr. O had been one before," Kaylee stated.

"Oh. Right," the Blue Ranger nodded.

At that moment, Tommy stood up amongst the tension. "Look, I don't know if this will make things harder, or easier, but until we figure things out, we defend ourselves, and we don't destroy them," he explained. "And for the time being I think you five should take a break…go hang out at Cyberspace or something. Hayley and I have this covered."

"You sure?" Trent inquired.

"Yeah, go on," Tommy nodded. The five teens stood, three of them de-morphing as they walked off and out of the base.

"You think this is going to change things between them?" he added to Hayley once they were out of sight.

"I hope not," she smiled weakly, before they both went to work at the computer.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

In a cave offshore somewhere, Lothor sat on a stone throne. Fires burned all over in the dimly lit room as the three Wind Ninja Rangers, now de-morphed, approached him.

"Well," he began. "That was quite a sight."

"It was brilliant," Shane grinned.

"You truly are a strategic genius," Tori complimented the evil ninja.

Dustin approached, smiling. "I can't wait to face the Dino Rangers again."

"Now, I have to take a nap, so I'd like if y'all left me."

"You're gonna need more than a nap to beat the Power Rangers," Elsa chuckled as she entered, clad in her usual black leather and locks. "Lucky for you, my master is willing to help out."

"How did you get in here?" Shane seethed, leaning closer to glare at Elsa.

"This is a private lair," Dustin added angrily.

"Back off, buddy!" she hissed, pushing both Shane and Dustin away from her personal space. She'd had to deal with the Earth Ninja before—on the Blue Bay beach, when she'd attacked his protégé. Smirking, she turned to Lothor. "Mesogog doesn't mess around with amateurs."

"You don't know _who_ you're messing with," Tori growled.

Lothor held up a hand. "Wait, Tori," he stood up, walking over to Elsa. "Mesogog has sent us his messenger. The least we can do is listen to the message."

* * *


	28. Thunder Storm, Part 2

_**Thunder Storm, part 2.**_

* * *

Walking down the streets that two trios of Rangers had occupied a few hours earlier, Blake, Leanne, Eric and Hunter stared at the former Green Samurai Ranger in shock.

"Are you _nuts_?" Blake exclaimed.

"I take back everything I ever said about you being smart," Hunter stated.

"Dude, he totally isn't anymore," Eric declared, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Think of the purple goo, Cam. PURPLE. GOO."

"Have a look at what they've done," Cam pleaded, gesturing before them at the destroyed street. "We have to get to the Abyss, it's our only chance."

"You were there, right?" Hunter asked him. "You know what's inside that thing."

Cam stopped walking, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Yes," he nodded. "Our powers, and we have to get them back if we're gonna have any chance of helping the Dino Rangers deal with Tori, Shane and Dustin."

"C'mon, Hunter, I may not have been there when it all went down, but even I know it's what we have to do," Leanne sighed.

"We?" her adoptive brothers and Cam frowned, and she placed her hands on her hips, regarding them with slight anger.

"Do _not_ tell me I'm not allowed to come _because it's dangerous_," she mocked, wrinkling her nose. "I've owned all your asses in training before."

"We, uh, need someone to look after Eric," Cam replied, and the sad truth that he was being totally honest. Eric blinked, as if not understanding. "_He's_ not coming."

"And he needs a babysitter?" she frowned.

"Yeah, I'm pretty much stupid enough to go take on my own teach, or blab about it to my brother, and Cam realizes this," the Earth Ninja sighed. "Without someone to _babysit_ me, if you must, I'll get bored and do something dumb."

"Dumb means you can't talk, and at this point, it would be a good thing," Leanne muttered.

"She doesn't need to babysit him, because we're not going _anywhere_," Blake stressed. "Right?"

But his brother and Cam were giving him knowing looks, pointed stares that meant traveling into the Abyss was now unavoidable, because it was quickly becoming knowledge that he wasn't to get outnumbered. "No way!" he insisted. "No. There's no possibly way I'm going near that thing again!"

Grinning, Cam and Hunter gave each other a nod, then reached forward and grabbed Blake's arms. There was a flash containing all their colors and they Ninja Streaked away, leaving Leanne and Eric behind.

"So…," Eric began, offering her a flirty grin. "What are we going to do?"

Sensei Omino Jr glared at the Earth Ninja, eyes daring. "Try it, and you'll find yourself six feet under."

Before he could respond and remind her he was the _Earth_ Ninja here, she grinned oh-so-innocently. "Permanently."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"It says here that the Ninja Rangers defeated like a hundred space mutants at one time," Ethan was wide-eyed, reading off his laptop screen.

"I was there, it was really rough," Kaylee nodded, seated on the Cyberspace sofa with him, Kira and Conner. Trent was being a good little busboy—something Kaylee was lacking at the moment. But they didn't blame her.

"After fighting them, I believe it," Kira sighed.

"Oh, come on," Conner rolled his eyes. "They weren't that tough. I'd fight 'em, right here, right now."

With a burst of wind, the three Ninjas walked steadily through the door, stopping and staring down the Dino Rangers. Shane stepped forward, shooting a blast of air at the four seated Rangers and various civilians. It sent tables and people flying and caused most customers to shout and run off.

Ethan, Conner, Kira and Kaylee found themselves on the ground, groaning.

"You just _had_ to say it, didn't you?" Kaylee glared at the Red Ranger as Ethan scrabbled across the floor to retrieve his laptop. Unfortunately, it had slid across to the Ninja Rangers, and as he reached for it, Dustin slammed his foot down.

Whimpering as he heard the crunching of his hard drive, Ethan looked up at the smirking Yellow Ninja Ranger. "And they say my crush on Kaylee is the _only_ reason I don't like you…," the Blue Ranger muttered, standing up and taking a step backwards to join his friends.

"Can I get you anything?" Conner hissed, standing ahead of the Dino Ranger group. "A donut, maybe? Or a muffin?"

"I try to stay away from sugar," Shane stated, his voice low and menacing. "Makes me hyper."

"It's kinda scary," Kaylee whispered to her teammates. Well, the current ones anyway.

"Like he's not right now?" Ethan whined.

"Stop fooling around!" Tori snapped. "We have some unfinished business to attend to."

Red, Blue and Yellow Rangers stepped forward, crossing to match colors. Watching them, Kaylee began to bite at one of her nails, nervous.

"Dude," Conner smiled suddenly, getting an idea as he looked across at the Blue Wind Ranger. He leaned towards Ethan. "She's kinda cute, don't you think?"

Hearing a Yellow Ranger beside him gasp, he grinned, knowing he'd accomplished his goal. The way she'd flirted with Hunter—this was revenge. Of course, he hadn't expected Ethan to agree, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he too was getting revenge, in a way, on his unrequited crush for Kaylee.

"Yeah," Ethan nodded, causing Kaylee to gasp like Kira had. "In a crazed-Ninja-Terminator sort of way."

"Um, ew?" Kaylee wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Hello! She's my sister!"

Kira whacked Conner upside the head, simply glaring at Ethan. "Would you two _focus_, here?"

"Right," Conner grumbled sullenly. Ethan snickered, thinking he'd gotten off scot-free, but when a certain Green Ranger backhanded him across the head, he groaned.

"You've been hanging out Kira too much," he mumbled, causing the girls to grin.

"Can we get on with this?" Shane hissed, getting annoyed. Dustin and Tori nodded.

"We're not gonna fight you here," Conner pointed out, looking at the crowd.

"Well then, we're just gonna have to destroy you," the Red Wind Ranger grinned.

"We'll meet wherever you want," the Red Dino Ranger stated seriously, almost threatening. "But you come alone."

"Why should we agree to that?" Shane scoffed, now standing face-to-face with Conner, squaring off. The tension in the room was building and building, causing Kaylee to fidget.

"It's called honor," Kira glared ahead, at Dustin in particular. "I thought you Ninjas knew all about that."

Dustin just stared at her silently, and then glared behind her, where Kaylee stood, trying to hide from his angry gaze behind her best friend. On Conner's other side, Ethan had changed from a googly-eyed dork to glaring at the opposing Blue Ranger.

"Fine," Shane growled, fists clenching. "Under the Harbor Bridge. In one hour. The six of us. No one else." He gave Kaylee a particularly nasty look at this, and she shrunk back.

"Fine," Conner agreed menacingly. "We'll be there."

Without another word, the Ninjas fled the scene, leaving the Dino Rangers in the empty café in the wake of their super speeding. "Ninja streak?" Ethan smiled gleefully. "Aw, how cool is that?"

Kira and Conner gave him a look, expecting this to only worsen Kaylee's mood. However, she merely smiled, before Ninja Streaking across the room and back.

"Dude! You can do it too!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Well, I _did_ say I went to the Ninja Academy with them, remember?" Kaylee laughed.

"Oh…right!" he grinned.

"By the way, can…can I ask a favor?" she inquired, suddenly turning quiet and nervous. He looked at her questioningly. "About that battle later on…against the Wind Rangers…I know you six are supposed to go at it…but…"

"Yes," was all Ethan had to say, because he understood she couldn't quite bring herself to ask. "It's your boyfriend, your sister and your old friend. Your family. It's only right that you go instead of me."

"Thank you," the blonde smiled sweetly, and Ethan was glad they couldn't see the blush threatening to overpower his cheeks.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

By the Abyss of Evil, three individuals were harnessed up and ready to descend.

"Uh, I just wanna say one last time," Blake began nervously. "I think this is a bad idea."

"Okay," Cam took a deep breath. "Let's go. And, uh, stick together. We split up and we're through."

The Bradley Brothers nodded, before the three former Rangers began their slow descent, walking backwards over the ledge. Slowly but surely, they lowered themselves down into the Abyss of Evil.

Landing on a rock ledge sometime later, the boys unhooked their ropes and took off their helmets. "Man," Blake wrinkled his nose, and his brother made a face. "It stinks down here."

"Let's find our powers and get out of here," Cam stated, looking a little nervous.

Hunter stepped forward, pointing to a ledge nearby where two green orbs were floating together, glowing. "Over there."

"The Samurai Amulet," Cam smiled. "And the Green Wind Morpher."

"I can't believe there's no one guarding it," Hunter frowned suspiciously.

As if on cue, a group of Kelzackz and monsters appeared, and the former Rangers stood together in battle stance.

"You just _had_ to say, right?" Blake glared at his brother, who shrugged slightly.

"Welcome to my home, Power Rangers," a familiar voice cackled, and the boys looked up onto a ledge where Zurgane stood, crossing his swords and thrusting them forward. Laughing madly, he yelled. "Attack!"

The Kelzackz ran forward against the boys to meet them in battle. Taking advantage rather easily throughout the fight that ensued, the boys fought their hardest to regain their old morphers.

Soon, Cam was nearly able to reach the rock ledge with the Samurai Amulet and the Green Wind Morpher, but one of the monsters hit the ground with his sword and electricity crackled everywhere, causing the earth to shake.

As Cam missed the morphers completely, Hunter fell over on the stone hard and Blake went flying over the edge of the cliff, towards the depths of the Abyss with force.

"Blake!" his brother shouted worriedly, jumping over himself and grabbing the Navy Ranger's arm. He just barely managed to catch the edge of the stone with his other hand, hitting the cliff-face but holding on strong. "Gotcha!"

Forgetting about the search for morphers, Cam dove onto his stomach, reaching over the edge to grab Hunter's arm as he slipped down, keeping him from falling. "Hang on!"

"I'm trying!" Blake responded. "But I'm losing my grip!"

Zurgane stepped up to the edge, sword in hand. "Now it's your turn to feel what it's like to live at the bottom of the Abyss!"

He raised his weapon, and began to leap across the rocks towards the former Rangers. Cam strengthened his grip on Hunter's arms, hoping to pull them up before Zurgane reached them. Unfortunately, they continued to slide.

"I can't believe I'm gonna miss my race tomorrow!" Blake groaned.

"Dude, did you seriously just say that?" Hunter looked down at him.

"It's my race in Reefside with you!" he stated matter-of-factly.

"I can't hold on!" Cam gasped suddenly, and his hand slipped further.

Suddenly, dark pink lightning shot through the Abyss, crashing into Zurgane. It sent volt after volt through his body, and suddenly in a flash of purple, he was gone like the other monsters, rocketing high up and out of the Abyss.

A feminine hand then grabbed Hunter's shoulder, and Cam looked sideways to find his girlfriend, smirking proudly. "Still wanna tell me you don't need me?"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

In a flash of purple, Zurgane appeared in Lothor's cave, out of breath and clutching a spot where Leanne's lightning had ripped clean through his suit and into his skin.

Hissing through the pain, he lumbered over to Lothor, sitting at his throne, and bowed, kneeling down.

"Report, Zurgane," Lothor barked.

"They've succeeded, sir. I thought they were finished, but then a female Ninja arrived and forced me to retreat. They've probably regained the powers by now."

"_One_ Ninja?" Lothor hissed. "You lost to one _female_ Ninja? I captured all of them, you fool!"

"Did she have red hair, about my height, with a particularly _electric_ personality?" Tori sneered.

"Yes…"

"Leanne," Shane growled, fists clenching. "She was Kaylee's teacher way back when. Sensei Omino's daughter."

"Hmm, this could mean trouble," Lothor drawled, annoyed. He knew what trouble Cam could cause if he resurrected the Ninja Storm powers—it could reverse his evil power discs. But he wasn't going to let the Rangers know about _that_. "If they succeed in retrieving their powers, we could be up against more than we planned."

"Well then, why don't we use _this_ to our advantage?" Elsa stepped in, then, holding the laptop she frequently used in Mesogog's lair to spy on the Rangers. It showed footage of the MX Park, where Kelly was guarding Hunter's equipment, alone. Then, with the push of a button, it switched to another clip, at the gates of the park, where a brunet guy in jeans and a red t-shirt was walking in.

"What's he doing _there_?" Dustin hissed.

"I thought you three challenged him and his little pathetic friends."

"Wrong McKnight," Elsa snickered. "I've fought that one before. It's the Red Ranger's twin brother. An Earth Ninja."

"Someone else escaped the bottle," Lothor pointed out, before his evil Rangers smirked, looking at Elsa. "What?"

"'Course she knows him, my student kicked her ass before," Dustin taunted, causing the aptly named 'Emo Barbie' to nearly lash out, were it not for a threatening Tori standing in her path.

"Enough bickering," the Blue Ranger snapped. "We've got a meeting, remember?"

"Yes, you three have to meet the Dino Rangers at the bridge," Lothor nodded. "I'll take care of bringing the visitors in—they'll be here when you get back from destroying the others."

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Kaylee, Kira and Conner tapped their feet impatiently, waiting. Speaking in his usual leadership tone, Conner looked to the girls. "Okay, if they use special powers, we use special powers. If they morph, we morph. Sound good?"

"Does to me," Kira nodded, and both gazed rested on Kaylee.

"I don't wanna fight them, but if they persist, I don't have much of a choice," she grinned uneasily. "Besides, I asked to be here."

Suddenly, they were thrown back by a large gust of wind, causing them to fall to the ground as the Ninja Rangers approached. They looked up to see the Ninjas with their arms outstretched, power leaving them.

"Man, do they have to keep doing that?" Kira asked.

"Fools," Shane chuckled. "You actually showed up."

"We don't have to do this," Kaylee told the three Ninjas in front of her. "This isn't you. There's something Lothor's done to your minds and…and now you can't think straight. Please, you guys gotta hear me out. Zwop out of it!"

"What's wrong, sissy? Too afraid to find out we might not be pretending?" Tori sneered, stepping closer—but Kira got in the way.

"Your fight's with me, blondie, not her," the Yellow Ranger defended her friend, who already had Dustin stepping up to her with an angry glare.

"Poor, poor, Kaylee, if only you'd stuck around at the Academy—you coulda been great," Dustin sighed. "You coulda been one of us."

"Evil, angry-faced and looking like you're always constipated?" Kaylee frowned, before smirking. "No thanks!"

Dustin growled, grabbing her by the wrist and twisting it around him until she went flying onto the pavement. The other four got into battle stances before rushing forward, meeting in pairs halfway.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Kelly frowned, tapping at her watch. "Jeez, what's taking him so long? He's got his next race in an hour and a half!"

Squinting through the crowd, she tried to catch sight of any familiar faces. Hunter, Kaylee, Kira, anyone really. Finally, she spotted Conner and grinned. Waving, she started towards him—but her joy was short-lived.

From amongst the crowd came a monster, lumbering towards the teen in the red t-shirt. Kelly gasped—she'd seen it once before, at the US Action Games, and whatever it was, it meant bad news. She yelled Conner's name as the crowd around them screamed and dispersed, and he turned, frowning.

"Kelly?" he grinned, starting towards her. "Got the wrong McKnight twin, swe—"

Zurgane barreled into him, roaring as he unsheathed his sword. Eric rolled away from him, clutching at his side and hissing in pain. Slowly, he stood, facing the evil space warrior. "That was so unkind, dude."

"My master invites you and the girl to his humble abode," Zurgane snickered, turning his head slightly towards Kelly.

"Sorry, but I don't think we'll be able to make it," Eric grinned.

"It wasn't a _choice_," the monster growled, and Kelly cried out all too late as he leapt forward, sword slashing at Eric. The brunet smirked, waiting until the last second to duck out of the way, rolling across the dirt path. Hopping to his feet, he delivered a roundhouse kick to Zurgane's face, chuckling. "Abomination!"

"Dude, rude," Eric frowned, and began to form some kind of comeback, but Kelly's scream interrupted him. He whirled around to see her held tightly in Elsa's death grip, and he groaned. "Hurray, Emo Barbie's joined the party."

"Our masters have similar ideals," she snickered. "And to accomplish them, we need a little _incentive_, especially now that the little Green nerd and his pals have gotten back their powers."

"So Cam and the Bradley's _did_ succeed," Eric sneered, still taunting and cheeky in a serious situation. He eyed Zurgane, teasing. "No wonder you're so uptight. They got past your angry ass, didn't they?"

"Zurgane!" Elsa snapped, stopping the snarling monster from beating the Earth Ninja to a pulp. In her grasp, Kelly cringed, her ears throbbing. Glaring, the madwoman focused her gaze on Eric again. "You're lucky you're the twin to someone as annoying as Conner, you whelp. Or else you'd be history."

"Glad to know my importance to my bro and Kel's importance to the Thunders are what's keeping us alive," Eric muttered, admitting the defeat he couldn't push back now that Kelzackz and Tyrannodrones had surrounded them.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Conner was the first to go back on his word and use his powers before the Ninjas, dodging a series of ferocious punches by super speeding around him. Smirking as his ego inflated, he ducked under a roundhouse kick slowly, mocking Shane has he went—only to receive a knee to the face.

Cursing, he fell backwards. Jumping to his feet, he swept his leg out, trying to catch Shane's legs. But the Ninja jumped a great length, twisting backwards through the air and up onto the lower workings of the bridge. He looked like nothing more than a red flash.

Glaring, Conner followed, another flash of red. Beneath them, Kaylee had gotten to her feet, beyond pissed off at this point. Blocking Dustin's attacks with her arms, she twirled around, kicking her leg out and making contact with his wrists. He skidded back against the dirt path, rubbing his wrists in irritation.

Lunging forward, they settled back into a hand-to-hand fight for a few seconds before he back flipped away from his girlfriend when she tried to sweep him off his feet. As his head was about to hit the ground, he vanished in a cloud of sand and dust, accumulating together with the ground and spreading out.

Kaylee frowned, getting to her feet. "Aw, c'mon, Dustin, you know I hate it when you do the dusty thing!" she whined.

She looked around, and turned just in time to witness a large dust cloud rushing towards her. Seconds before it materialized and went to hit her, she dodged it. Flipping backwards, she got out of the way as he landed roughly where she'd been, creating a dent in the ground.

Over by the railing of the roadway, Tori and Kira dueled, matching one another kick for kick and punch for punch as Tori flipped across the railing, nimble enough to seem like she was dancing along its length.

She jumped, twirling through the air until she landed behind Kira, and grabbed her arms. She twisted them behind her back, and the Yellow Ranger cried out—though not loud enough for her Ptera Scream to kick in.

The Blue Wind Ranger jumped over her, turned, and kept her arms entwined with Kira's to cause further pain. Seriously, her arms were _not_ supposed to bend that way. But Kira worked around it, jumped over her opponent and kicking back, hitting Tori in the back and pushing her away, breaking their contact. Angry and frustrated, Tori twirled her hands around her into a circle, condensing the air to create and wield water.

She blasted a jet of water forward, but Kira countered it, taking a deep breath and unleashing a Sonic Scream. Both blue and yellow blasts collided, and the sonic boom it created when it imploded caused both girls to slide backwards on the pavement.

As they rushed together again, so did two Red Rangers high above them on the under rafters of the bridge. Shane directed a particularly nasty blast of wind at Conner, trying to knock him off the catwalk, but he withstood it, covering his face with his arm.

His mistake—Shane rushed forward, lashing out through the blind spot. He struck Conner dead center in the chest and had his back not been to the railing, he might've not found himself falling. He reached out at super human speed, grabbing onto the rail as best he could—feeling it pull in his shoulder and he winced.

Smirking, Shane pounded on the Red Dino Ranger's hands, tossing him off the catwalk. Using his powers again, he sped towards the ground at a more comfortable angle, so as to roll forward, minimizing the impact.

Kira was at his side instantly, helping him up as Kaylee joined them. A few feet away, Tori, Dustin and Shane regrouped as well.

"This is boring," Tori drawled, through her breathing was heavy, ragged, tired.

"Shall we?" Shane raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh yeah!" Dustin grinned, excited as he raised his morpher alongside his friends.

They were on the verge of morphing when a familiar voice rang out beneath the bridge, reaching them. "No, wait!"

All six figures turned to the side of the path, where three figures had descended from the bridge. Cam Watanabe, Hunter Bradley, and another—one that Conner alone did not recognize.

However, he scoffed, shaking his head. "I should've seen it." Questioning, Kira and Kaylee glanced up at him. "When I figured out Dustin was Yellow, it was easy to put together Tori and Shane being Blue and Red. Why I didn't see your old pal Cam and new acquaintance _Hunter_ as Green and Crimson, I'm not sure."

"And not to mention Blake as Navy," Kaylee pointed out, tapping him on the shoulder. "But you didn't know him, so I won't hold that one over you."

"Good," Conner nodded towards the three new arrivals, ignoring Kaylee's jab. "If they're Rangers, we can use all the help we can get."

"We're not here to help you guys out," Hunter chuckled; further raising Conner's annoyance of the Crimson Ranger. "We stick with out own kind."

"Technically she is your own kind!" Kira pointed out, nudging a shaken Kaylee. She watched slowly as three more of her friends joined up with evil.

"Lothor's shown us the error of our ways," Blake reported.

"Whoever doesn't follow us, we'll destroy," Cam declared, reaching into the fabric of his Samurai uniform. The Ninja Rangers began to advance, strengthened by their newest additions, but he stepped in their path, holding up a hand to stop them.

"Wait," he paused, bringing forth his other hand from within his uniform to reveal yellow, blue and red morphing discs. "First, you have to take these. A little power boost—direct from the Abyss of Evil."

"We already have our powers," Tori frowned.

"Not these ones," Hunter smirked.

"You'd better be right about this," Shane warned, aiming a glare at Cam. He remembered their conversation with Lothor in his cave, about how they'd gotten to the Abyss of Evil and gotten their powers back. Perhaps Cam was fooling? But his thirst for power took over, and he grabbed the discs, replacing the one in his morpher.

Tori and Dustin followed suit, as everyone tensed. Raising their wrists, they activated them, and bursts of energy shot from the morphers, sending them flying and hitting the ground, hard. Hunter, Blake and Cam rushed to their side as the Dino Rangers watched, confused.

"Dude, what happened?" Dustin frowned, taking Hunter's arm and pulling himself up. "My bell is seriously rung."

"How did we get there?" Tori inquired. "That last thing I remember…"

"Lothor," Blake stated, taking her hand and helping her up. "He's back."

"Yeah, we know," Shane nodded. "Sensei told us."

"That wasn't Sensei," Hunter remarked.

"No, dude, I know Sensei when I see him," Dustin pointed out.

"No," Blake shook his head. "It's Lothor."

"Okay, unless it was Lothor dressed _as_ Sensei," Dustin concluded, pleased with himself.

"It definitely was, but you fell for it," Kaylee announced as she, Kira and Conner walked over to the large group.

"Kaylee?" everyone but Hunter frowned, echoes of her name bouncing off the underbelly of the bridge above. For Tori, Dustin and Shane, it was guilt overwhelming them. For Cam and Blake, it was sympathy for her heaving to deal with this whole ordeal, not to mention not having seen her in quite some time on Blake's behalf.

Tori and Dustin rushed forward to hug her, eliciting a series of giggles from the girl.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," she smiled. "Okay, guys…quit it! You're smothering me!"

"This is all amusing and whatever," Conner commented, breaking the moment. "But, does someone wanna tell me what's going on?"

"As much as I'd love to, Conner, we have bigger things to deal with," a female voice announced, and everyone turned to see Leanne joining them, dropping from the bridge above.

"Leanne?" Kaylee smiled, going to hug her. The redhead laughed as she was bombarded. "This is way better than my last team-up! You guys totally own Wild Force!"

"Leanne…," Tori began, frowning. Suddenly something stuck in her mind and she gasped, bringing her hands to cover her mouth. "After you saved the guys from the Abyss…Lothor…Lothor said he needed _incentive_ in case the odds were more overwhelming than planned."

Leanne caught on faster, and it was then the others realized she was clutching a cell phone in her hand. "Eric's not responding."

"What?" Conner and Dustin's eyes simultaneously widened.

"He was headed for the MX Park to see if he could catch any of you guys," she went on.

"Kelly was there too," Kaylee revealed.

"We know," Dustin sighed, sounding serious. "We saw on Elsa's laptop."

"Elsa's in on this?" Kira cursed.

"Shit," Conner agreed.

"Yeah, and it's because of her that Lothor's _incentive_ was to capture something important to both teams. You brother, and our old boss."

"Great," Kira and Kaylee groaned in sync. "Things just got a zwopload more complicated."


	29. Thunder Storm, Part 3

**Note To Lily: **sorry this took so long for me to update, bud. 'Rents forced me to watch some god awful boring movie marathon with them, no laptops allowed. Hence, I didn't update for when you got back from my house. However, I've updated for when you got home this time!

**Note To Readers:** Hey, guys! Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You guys have been great throughout the whole series, and still are. I say "throughout the whole series" because we're almost done. We've reached that point where there aren't all that many episodes/chapters left. So I hope you enjoy the ride. :D

_**

* * *

Thunder Storm, part 2.**_

* * *

"Any idea where they are now, Hayley?" Kira asked, sitting on the steps headed towards the computer, back in the Dino Lab.

After it came to their attention that Eric and Kelly had been kidnapped by Elsa and Lothor, they decided their only option was to go and rescue them, ASAP. But unfortunately, it seemed that the bad guys had been watching, and when the Ninjas had been turned good again, they'd fled Lothor's cave for a better base.

So the Dino and Ninja Rangers had returned to the Dino Lab to see Hayley and Ethan—aided now by Cam and Leanne—could track them down.

"I'm sorry, but no," the redhead sighed. "And they didn't high-tail it back to Mesogog's base like we thought, because I'm only getting Tyrannodrone life signs from there."

"Man, I knew we shouldn't have left them," Hunter breathed, leaning backwards against Kira's knees, who sat two steps higher than him.

"Hey, it was either I left Eric on his own to find Kelly, or you guys dropped to your deaths in the Abyss," Leanne reminded him.

"And it was a good thing, too, or else you wouldn't have showed up when you did," Conner forced a smile, not looking in the direction of the steps, rubbing a sore and likely bruised spot on his arm.

"Good thing for you guys," Shane smiked, making everyone laugh a little.

"Whatever, dude," Conner rolled his eyes, despite a large smile now adorning his features.

"Nah, I'm just playing," the Red Wind Ranger grinned. "You guys fight like Rockstars."

"I, for one, will take that as a compliment," Kira smiled.

"Me too!" Kaylee grinned, before she frowned, spotting Cam's Samurai Amulet around his neck as well as the Thunder Morphers back in their respective places on their owner's wrists. "Hey, speaking of you three in the Abyss, that reminds me, did you guys find my morpher?"

"Yep," Cam nodded, bringing her old Green Wind Morpher out of his Academy robes. "But after what we found out today about your new little residence, it doesn't seem you need it anymore."

"What are you talking about?" she giggled, grabbing it from him and staring at it. "I would make the awesomest Green Wind Dino Ranger _ever_!"

Dustin patted her shoulder comfortingly, taking it from her grasp and tossing it back to Cam. "I'm not so sure that's a good thing, Kayl," he chuckled, and pouting, she leaned back into his grip, glancing in her sister's direction as the older blonde smiled.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot," she shrugged, before smiling again. "It's nice to have you guys back on the good side."

"It's good to be back," Dustin replied, hugging her closer—a silent apology for hurting her earlier during both fights.

"We're glad you're here," Tommy stated, standing beside Cam. "But now it's time to get down to business."

"Tommy's right," Cam nodded, standing slowly and sounding just as wise and mature as his father would. "We have a serious problem on our hands."

"And it's gonna take all of us to defeat him, and rescue Kelly and Eric," the Black Ranger pointed out.

Suddenly one of Hayley's screens lit up, showing a mass of monsters and Tyrannodrones gathered on the dirt track somewhere, and as the alarm began blaring, they noticed a large ship creeping across the sky above the monsters. The two redheads walked over and examined the screens.

"We've got company," Leanne stated.

"And I think I found our three absentees," Hayley added, causing everyone to turn towards the computer screens. She brought up the energy signatures from within the ship, focusing on one area where they seemed to be immobile and not moving around like the rest.

The readings showed what looked like one girl, one guy, and one older man.

"Dad!" Cam gasped, getting closer to the screen like he could reach him.

"Time to show them what teamwork is really all about," Tommy looked at the group in front of him, smiling proudly.

"Show them they don't belong here, and that they're totally zwopping dead for stealing our friends!" Kaylee thrust her fist into the air, grinning.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Eric?" Kelly repeated for the umpteenth time, crouched beside his unconscious form, poking him in the forehead. "Eric, wake up. This isn't funny anymore!"

"Worried, were you?" a trademark McKnight smirk washed over his lips as he came to, eyes fluttering open. His already flirty and cocky air was met with a ferocious glare, but that didn't deter him—_please_, he'd hit on Kira plenty of times before. Now _that_ was a glare.

Ignoring him, Kelly turned in their cell, staring at the oddly colored walls and halls. "Any idea where we are?"

"Probably Lothor's base," Eric shrugged, before he watched her frown some more, turning to look at him. And then it hit his groggy brain. She didn't know about Lothor, did she? Kelly wasn't aware of anything her Storm Chargers employees had been part of, whether Ranger-related or Ninja Academy-related.

"Excuse me?"

"Uhh…probably…um…I have no idea?" he chuckled nervously, but it was far too late. The redhead made her way over, determined, and crouched before him again. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, menacing.

"Come again?"

"In…Lothor's…base," he spoke slowly, eyes wide. As much as Kelly didn't have Ninja training on her side, Eric feared that dealing with motocrossers and the like, not to mention Storm Chargers and however many idiot customers a day it had, was enough to toughen her up far more than he liked. "Um…not sure which, though. It could be some creepy cave, or, y'know, a space ship. Or, since he was working with Elsa, we could be in Reefside."

"What. Are. You. Blabbering. About?"

A little warning bell in his head said telling her might not be the best idea, that his Sensei would probably kick his ass for it later, evil or not. But, well, let's face it, he was a McKnight, and those boys _never_ listened to their warning bells. Ever.

So, he grinned, sitting back against the wall, pulling out of her grasp. "Kelly, ever head of the _Power Rangers_?"

"What do you think I am, stupid?" she scoffed. "Blue Bay Harbor was home to the Wind Ninja Rangers last year. The Yellow one even saved me and the shop."

"That's Dustin for ya, what a heroic dude," Eric grinned, and it only grew when he saw her shocked look.

"You're kidding, right? You want me to believe _Dustin_ was the _Yellow Ranger_? A Power Ranger?" she asked, frowning. "Okay, no offence Eric, I thought you were…y'know," she made a motion around her ear, signifying that he wasn't '_all there_'. "But…this is…"

"The truth, Kel," he smirked, dropping his arm around her shoulders. "See, I'll let you in on a little secret. The reason we're here? It's cuz we're close with Dustin, Tori, Shane, Cam, Kaylee, Blake and Hunter. Well, that's why you're here anyway. Me? I'm important to the other team in this little reunion. The Dino Rangers of Reefside."

Silently, Kelly just nodded, shock taking away her words and letting her listen, only, but not speak. She couldn't form the words to protest his ridiculous theory. Because…well…the more he spoke, the more she realized it wasn't _that_ ridiculous at all. The more he told her, the more her shock subsided, and logic set in, because, well, it fit. Everything did make sense.

Just as Eric was getting to the part about how he got it out of Cam earlier that day, a sword was slammed against the bars to their cage, and they jumped, looking up to see a sneering Elsa.

"Don't you two look cozy," she taunted, and Kelly rolled her eyes, shrugging off Eric's arm for the umpteenth time. "Don't get used to it—your friends are here."

Venom dripping from her voice, she banged her sword against the side of the cell again, and a screen on the wall lit up, showing them what she meant—eleven figures stood in a line, at the ready. Glaring at the two, she disappeared in a flash of purple, and wound up outside, on the dirt field, standing before the hordes of monsters, Tyrannodrones and Kelzackz.

Grinning again, Eric stood up and walked to the screen, pointing at the figure on the far right. "Okay, see, here's where I start naming people…um, if I can tell who's who…," he trailed off, squinting at the screen. "Oh, wait, they're morphing! I'll totally tell you!"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Let's be careful," Tommy warned the line of Rangers. "But let's get it done."

Then, he realized someone was missing. "Where's Kaylee?"

Kira and Tori exchanged grins. "She's coming, don't worry."

"Alright…"

"Are you guys ready?" Conner shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Ready," the others replied simultaneously, morphers raised. One by one, they called upon their powers.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

"WHITE RANGER, DINO POWER!"

"NINJA STORM, RANGER FORM!"

"THUNDER STORM, RANGER FORM!"

"SAMURAI FORM, RANGER FORM!"

"TYRANNO!"

"PTERA!"

"TRICERA!"

"BRACCHIO!"

"DRAGO!"

"DINO THUNDER!"

"POWER OF AIR!"

"POWER OF WATER!"

"POWER OF EARTH!"

"CRIMSON THUNDER!"

"NAVY THUNDER!"

"SAMURAI POWER!"

"NINJA STORM!"

Suited up and finished with their roll call, the Rangers leapt down from the cliff to the track in order to face the enemy. Shouting "RANGER POWER!" in the wake of their landing, a shower of colored explosions went off behind them, their respective color behind each Ranger.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Okay, so," Eric began, moving his finger to each Ranger as he went along. Kelly watched silently, in awe. "Ninja Rangers. Shane, Tori, Dustin, Hunter, Blake and Cam. And Dino Rangers. Conner, Kira, Ethan, Tommy, Trent and…hey, where's Kaylee?"

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"So they won't lemme be the Great Green Wind Dino Ranger…," a voice rang out across the dirt beach, and the Rangers kept their line, waiting, watching the monsters. "But they _WILL_ let me own all of you with my new friend!"

The ground shook as a mass of green machinery lumbered into view, over the horizon. The Dragonzord was massive, and sitting on its metal snout was a petite blonde girl, green stripe in her hair shinning, and a wide smile plastered on her face.

She stood as her Zord came to a stop just behind her line of Rangers, bringing her morpher up. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

Her Green suit came into view, and she completed her morph. "Spino Power!" Beneath her, the Dragonzord roared, causing the ground to shake once again. She spotted Dustin amongst her fellow Rangers and waved at him, and once he got the nod from Shane, he jumped his way up the Dragonzord's side, joining her on the snout.

Before the Rangers paired up and took off to battle separate monsters, Kaylee found Cam amongst the crowd and cupped her hands to her mouth, shouting: "Hey, Cam, see this awesomeness? THIS IS THE ONE YOU LOST IN THE MAIL!"

Dustin patted her on the shoulder, chuckling, before the others began their trek towards the enemy monsters, who roared, charging. There were not only Tyrannodrones and Kelzackz alongside the frightening Elsa and Zurgane, but Triptoids, Lothor's new friends from the Abyss of Evil, and finally, the Wolfblades.

Seeing these last monsters, Kaylee's fists clenched, and she shouted down to her friends. "Kick the crap outta whoever you want, but those Wolfblades are zwopping MINE!"

Conner sent Kira a look, and she shrugged. "Personal vendetta," she replied, before the Ranger vehicles arrived and Kira mounted her yellow one alongside Hunter's crimson one. Together, they rode off, and Conner had only a split second to curse the Crimson Ranger before Shane called his name, by their red bikes, itching to take off.

They got on their cycles and went off a mound of dirt, blasting Lothor's two Generals from the Abyss of Evil with red lasers.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Kira and Hunter drove side-by-side towards Elsa, who angrily blasted electricity their way. The explosion it caused behind them made them falter, but it wasn't enough to make them fall off their bikes. So casually, chuckling, they rode on.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"Fall beneath the mighty Lost Mail Zord, Wolfblades!" Kaylee giggled, directing her Dragonzord to crush any wolfy monster in their path. She turned to Dustin, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Finally, they're _dying_

!"

"Why don't we help the Green Compadre squish some Wolfblades?" Dustin suggested, using the name she'd given it and told him about. Excitedly, Kaylee nodded, and they summoned their Tsunami and Raptor Cycles to the ground beneath the Dragonzord, landing on them when they jumped down.

As Dustin took to an upper hillside, yellow lasers firing off like mad, Kaylee went by in the opposite direction below, taking out monsters alongside her Green Compadre. She pulled to a stop, calling her Spino Whip to her hand and wrapping it around the leader Wolfblade's sword seconds before it tried to hurl it at her.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Tommy and Ethan rode off a mound of dirt, tearing through the air towards a monster as their blue and black lasers tore at it. The monster faltered, but stood its ground well enough to grab the underside of their vehicles, pitching the Rangers off as it threw them away.

They rolled to a crouch, and Ethan grumbled: "I hate clowns." Nodding at one another, the Blue Ranger took off to find his vehicle. Tommy on the other hand stayed, bringing forth his Brachio Staff and smashing it into the ground, sending a ripple towards the creature in hopes of knocking it off its big clownish feet.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Tori and Blake had already dismounted their cycles, fighting head-to-head against Zurgane. Their swords clashed repeatedly until Tori got a clear shut, slashed Zurgane, and as he recoiled, Blake added his hit, flooring the General.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Cam, who did not have a cycle, rode with Trent on the White ATV. Accelerating ever quicker, they headed through a group of Triptoids, Kelzackz and Tyrannodrones, blasting them all away with white lasers and Cam's Samurai Sword.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Conner and Shane jumped from their Cycles just in time as a blast fired their way and sent their vehicles flying into the cliff. Whipping out their swords and taking off towards the two large monsters that had attacked them, Conner focused his energy.

"Super Dino Mode!" he yelled, and the white triangles on his uniform sprouted to life like spikes. He and Shane flipped through the air, rolling past the monsters and jumping to their feet in order to swipe at the back of them both, showering them in sparks.

After two more hits, they delivered synchronized roundhouse kicks, sending the monsters to their knees, and then to the ground with another sword blast.

But victory was not awarded to them—a purple-skinned creature lashed out with its staff, sending both boys flying into the air with an explosion of purple electricity.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Kira and Hunter were having theatrics of their own, back flipping away from a seriously pissed off Elsa, who was lashing out wildly with her blade and screaming. Their synchronized movement was interrupted when the black-clad woman got fed up and blasted them with blue-white electricity, sending them flying.

"Super Dino Mode!" Kira yelled, growing white spikes and leathery wings to her uniform. Her Ptera Scream ripped through the air and Hunter chuckled, covering his ears.

"You know, I have a feeling you need to unwind," he commented.

"You have no idea," she flicked her arms, sideways, extending the leathery pterodactyl wings and readying herself for flight. She paused, glancing at the Crimson Ranger. "Double Team?"

"One condition." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'm in town next week for another moto tourney. How about make that rescheduling?"

She hesitated a moment, listening to the part of her that repeated _simple_ like a bloody broken record. But she reminded her that he _wasn't_ a Ranger and that this _was_ simple, and told it to shut up. "It's a date," she smiled, kicking into the air.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, before jumping into the air and grabbing onto one of her legs as she glided by. Both Rangers had blasters in hand and as Elsa missed the moving aerial target with more dangerous electricity, they fired off two powerful yellow and crimson rounds. They hit Elsa in the stomach and chest, and she screamed, crashing to the ground in a heap.

"That's for ripping off my powers," Hunter stated as they landed, chuckling and high-fiving one another. His fingers crackled with crimson electricity.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"They're kicking ass out there!" Eric grinned, cheering on his family and friends from inside the ship.

"Such a colorful mouth could only belong to a McKnight twin, I think," a wise voice mused, and Kelly and Eric exchanged glances, eyes wide. Slowly, they crept to the edge of their cell, and looked out.

Diagonally from them, in his own cell, was Sensei Watanabe, looking a little worse for wear, but otherwise alright.

"Sensei!" Eric grinned. "You're okay! Cam was totally worried about you after we found the purple goo."

"I assume you mean my brother's mark from the Abyss of Evil."

"You mean…," Kelly trailed off, staring at the ship around them. "Your brother is…is…_Lothor_?"

"As Kiya Watanabe, yes. As Lothor, not so much, dear Kelly," Sensei nodded. "I hear you know of our story now."

As she nodded and bowed, feeling the gesture was polite and fitting, Eric rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Hehe, yeah. Sorry for the spill, Sensei. But…I figured it was time she knew."

"At lest now she no longer suspects Shane to need assistance with 'the big ones'," Sensei smiled, using Kaylee's favorite expression with little air quotes. He shifted from his position on the ground, using the wall to move, until he stood up. "Now, if you two would like, I believe it is time we leave this place and rejoin our friends."

Eric and Kelly looked at one another, smiled at his words, and nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Blake flipped back through the air, getting out of the way of Zurgane's reach for a moment before he howled in anger and rushed forward, only to be kicked in the face by Tori as she jumped over.

As she landed behind Lothor's general, Blake pitched in and two swords hit Zurgane's massive one, making sparks fly. But the general was stronger, aided by purple electricity as he blasted both Rangers off their feet.

Angrily, he targeted Tori, who was nearest, brining his sword together to fire a blast of deadly electricity at her. Blake stepped in, covering them both with a screen of navy energy, and crying out "Thunder Shield!"

The purple electricity hit Blake's shield and transformed into his own kind of navy thunder, turning around and ripping through the air, smashing into Zurgane and forcing him to his knees in pain.

"I'll take it from here!" Tori smiled, getting to her feet.

"I've got your back," Blake nodded.

The Blue Ranger brought her hands together in a clap, summoning a large force of water and throwing it all Zurgane's way. "Care to add some juice to it?" she inquired, and Blake smiled, clasping his hands around her own and sending navy thunder twisting into her beam of water as it crashed into Zurgane, electrocuting him.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Cam went flying through the air, landing on the ground roughly and visibly in pain. As Tyrannodrones, Triptoids and Kelzackz faced him; Trent stepped in, getting into a fighting stance. "Alright, they're asking for it."

"Let's give it to them," Cam nodded, getting to his feet and whipping off his vest before powering up. "Super Samurai Mode!"

"Super Dino Mode!" Trent added, his black uniform triangles turning into elongated spikes along his costume. Shouting valiantly, they flew through the air and into the group, slashing out with Samurai Sword and Drago Sword alike.

Reaching the other wise, Cam landed and turned around, slashing through a few monsters with a green sword swipe and Trent a series of Drago Arrows to the mix.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Dustin and Kaylee fought back-to-back, Spino Whip and Lion Hammer in hand as an enormous group of Wolfblades surrounded them.

"Just like old times, huh?" Dustin grinned, tightening his grip on his Hammer.

"Only this time I've got a few different tricks up my sleeve," Kaylee pointed out.

Before he could ask what they were, she took a running leap over some Wolfblades, flipping as she went, and calling out "Super Dino Mode!"

A series of small white spikes grew on her uniform, while large and more menacing ones grew along her spinal chord area. As she landed and cracked her whip, creating sparks to fire off along a line of Wolfblades in front of her, Dustin smiled.

"Awesome!" he grinned goofily, momentarily forgetting that he too was part of this fight. He remembered moments later when some Wolfblades closed in one him. He shook his head and disappeared in a burst of dirt, reappearing moments later alongside Kaylee, shaking the dust from his uniform.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

Conner and Shane landed on their backs, being sent flying by one of Lothor's Generals. The Red Dino Ranger was the first to recover, getting to his feet and bringing a Triassic Shield to hand, facing the monsters.

"Triassic Time!" he called, and the shield powered up, adding strength and power to his own. "You're gonna regret this!"

Taking out his powered up sword, he slashed through the attacking monsters, sparks flying wildly as he went back and forth, paining monster by monster. As the two recoiled in pain and shock, Shane stepped up, tapping Conner's shoulder to get his attention.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he inquired, and Conner nodded.

"Battlizer!" they yelled together, their different versions of this armored add-on strengthening them as it latched on and added itself to their uniform. The sound of a Hawk and a Phoenix tore through the air as the Fire Armor and Wind Armor sprung to power and life simultaneously.

Lashing out together, a large beam of fire and wind, with a mix of different energies went careening towards the monsters of the Abyss, tearing through them like a shedder to cheese. As the explosion went off, signaling the defeat of the last of the monsters, the boys stood proud. As they all returned to the Abyss, broken and beaten, Elsa was all that was left.

Injured, she still rose to her feet, holding what looked like a detonator in her hand. "I've had quite enough of you, and I think its time you back off!" she hissed. "Any closer and your precious friend, the Sensei and, oh, the Red Ranger's _helpless _little brother, will be blown to itsy bitsy pieces."

"Hey, how's this for helpless little brother…?" a sneer made the woman turn, and she was met a world of darkness, and the next time she awoke, she'd find she'd been given a broken nose a broken nose. "Bitch."

"Haha! Hey, bro!" Conner grinned as he and the other Rangers grouped together. The Red Dino Ranger then noticed that Kelly stood just behind him, supporting Sensei, and retracted the hand headed to clasp Eric's.

The redhead spotted the gesture, and chuckled. "Don't worry, Conner, I know."

His body language read shock, at first, but then he relaxed, before everyone else, and shook his brother's hand, giving him a partial hug. "Glad you're okay, dude."

"Hey, I wasn't the one getting blasted, man," Eric laughed, patting his brother on the back. Beside him, Cam stepped forward, taking his father from Kelly and supporting him.

"How did you…"

"With the way I was freaking out, Eric didn't have a choice but to tell me," she smiled warmly.

"And I believe it was time she knew," Sensei added, and Kaylee stepped forward, her giggles escaping her helmet.

She didn't even have to speak, Kelly just laughed, nodding. "Yes, I now know Shane didn't need help with _the big ones_." Just hearing her say it caused Kaylee to burst into further giggles, and Dustin shook his head, patting her on the back. "Dustin…um…thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome?" he frowned.

"Storm Chargers, last year, as the Yellow Ranger," she went on, bowing. "Thank you."

"Polite bowing…hm…if only the students learned so quickly," Sensei mused and again, Eric glowered, despite seeing the jar in Sensei's hands where the other students were kept. He just _knew_ he was getting poked fun of.

"Hey!" At Eric's expense, they all laughed, glad that today's events were over.

But they remained unaware that somewhere, Lothor was being shrunk to action-figure size and shoved into a little glass jar, never to escape—at least, _for now_.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

"I'm afraid it's dead," Hayley sighed, looking at the assortment of Ninja morphers on the table in front of her in the Dino Lab. By her side, Leanne looked glum.

"Lothor's extraction of the powers left just enough energy for one last battle."

Shane looked considerably upset as he turned to Conner. "Yeah, well, I guess it's a good thing we got you guys."

"You've done your part," Conner smiled, patting Shane on the shoulder. "It's our turn to take over where you left off."

Shane nodded, leaning back. "Might be kinda nice to take that weight off our shoulders—return to our normal lives."

"I'm all about getting back to normal," Ethan nodded, sneaking a silent and unnoticed glance at Kaylee, despite Dustin's presence beside her.

"Yeah, but not until we get down and dirty," Blake grinned, clapping his brother on the back. Finally, Reefside was gonna enjoy the sight of the Bradley Brothers, together, racing, tearing up the track and kicking ass.

* * *

xX-Thunder-Storm-Xx

* * *

As the racers sped around the dirt track, Blake and Hunter were long ahead, going toe-to-toe as the Rangers cheered and shouted their encouragement on the sidelines. They neared the finish line and Blake cut ahead slightly so that when they went blasting past the finish line, his bike was ahead of Hunter's just enough for him to be declared winner.

The Rangers hopped the barriers and joined the boys near the Factory Blue lane as Blake was presented with his trophy.

"Some things never change, I guess," Hunter smirked as his brother held the trophy high.

"I guess so," Blake laughed. "I gotta be better than you at _something_, I mean, dude, you're the older brother."

"Good point," Hunter chuckled, as the others arrived. Together, Conner and Shane joined up to lift Blake between them, letting the Navy Ranger hold his trophy high for everyone to see.

"That coulda been you," Kaylee pointed out, smiling up at Dustin as they watched their friends celebrate and congratulate the younger Bradley Brother.

"Coulda been," he nodded. "But the school was kinda calling me. And besides…blue isn't exactly my color."

"I'm sure there's a 'Factory Yellow' out there for you someday, Dustin," Kaylee told him affectionately, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks Kayl," he grinned goofily. "And thanks for not hating me after…"

Wordlessly, he reached over, gently placing a few fingers on her arm, where bruises were covered by a green sweater.

"It wasn't your fault," she smiled weakly. "You couldn't help it."

"I could've broken through. I could've gone against whatever crap Lothor put in my head," he sighed, turning to face her.

"I tried that. It didn't work so well," Kaylee shrugged. "Kinda just made you…more evil."

"Oops," Dustin grinned goofily again.

"Don't worry, Dustin, it was mind control," she pointed out. "You didn't have much say in the matter of beating up your girlfriend."

"Not that I want to be here if you two are having a moment, really I don't, but uh, the others are saying they're ready to leave," Kira stated, coming up to them. "It's not like Blue Bay Harbor's far but…Sensei says with the school and all…"

"Yeah, I understand," Dustin sighed, looking down at Kaylee, who shrugged sympathetically. "I promise I'll call. Like, more than before."

"I will too," Kaylee nodded.

"Not on my time you won't," Kira pointed out. "If I gotta listen to you two go on and on about being apart when working on writing songs or something, I might have to hit you over the head."

"I agree," Hunter nodded, stepping up as Kaylee and Dustin laughed. "I may not be teaching at the same Academy, but I'll be damned if I gotta hear about it."

"You two make it sound like we're the mushiest couple of the world," Dustin stated.

"How about this, instead of calling a whole lot and wasting money doing so, you come visit on teaching breaks more often?" Kaylee suggested.

"I think we'll just take you up on that offer," Hunter nodded, making them frown.

"_We_?" Dustin inquired.

"I'm coming along to make sure you don't decide to kick the teaching bucket and stay," Hunter told him, smirking as he leaned on Kira's shoulder with his elbow. "And besides, you n' me got our race in Reefside next week."

"Uh-huh," Kaylee grinned knowingly.

"Thought it was just _your_ race?" Kira frowned, feeling oddly uncomfortable with Kaylee's smile.

"Apparently I just got an invite," Dustin chuckled, dipping his head. "Thanks, man."

"No problem," Hunter nodded in return. "And who knows, might find myself a reason to stick around," the Crimson Ranger smirked, glancing at Kira as his smile broadened and she couldn't help but return the smile.

Hearing calls from the other Ninjas, Dustin leaned over, gave Kaylee a kiss, and Hunter reluctantly removed himself from his comfortable position, offering Kira a hug. She smiled and accepted, aware that behind him, their friends were watching. Aware that _Conner_ was watching. But part of her didn't care anymore.

"Well, time to go," he announced as he and Dustin waved and walked off. They soon joined their friends as they climbed into either Tori's van or Eric's car, and the Reefsiders waved as they drove off, a swirling mass of dust flying in its wake.


	30. In Your Dreams

_**In Your Dreams**_

"What are you guys doing here so late?" Tommy asked, walking into Cyberspace to find his Rangers seated at tables together, notebooks, laptops and books splayed out between them.

"Dr. O, you know I _love_ being a Ranger…but it can really put you in a crunch when it comes to homework," Ethan sighed.

"And you're supposed to be the smart one!" Kaylee laughed.

"This paper on primates is taking up all my time!" he complained, ignoring her. But she smiled widely, practically hopping in the seat beside Kira.

"Monkeys! Monkeys! Monkeys!" Kaylee clapped her hands together, grinning.

"I know what you mean," Kira groaned. "I have a ten page report on reptiles due on Monday."

"Well, I got you guys beat. I am totally caught up with my homework," Conner smiled, and the two raised their eyebrows doubtfully.

"Uh, _duh_, because you have history class with me and I helped!" Kaylee ruined his moment, giggling.

"Well, I suggest you all go home and get some sleep," Tommy spoke up.

"Yeah, you're right," Conner nodded, pushing his chair back and getting up. He glanced at Kira. "You need a ride home?"

"Sure," she nodded, picking up her books and closing everything. She waved at Kaylee and Ethan, and they disappeared through the doors.

The Green Ranger was next to get up, getting out her phone to call her sister. Books in hand, she managed to get to the door before Ethan grabbed his laptop, scurrying to catch up with her. Apparently, in all his thickness regarding her relationship with Dustin, he still wanted to walk her home.

The only one remaining at the table was Trent, arms crossed and head buried between them, lost to the world. "Um, Trent?" Tommy frowned.

"Oh, he won't wake," Hayley stated, coming out from the back room. "He's been like that for at least an hour. Totally passed out. I think he had a late night studying for mid-terms last night."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"I've adjusted the neural receptor output on the genome randomizer," Elsa stated, typing away on the machine in front of her, glancing over her shoulder to inform Mesogog of her ongoing project. "Whatever the Rangers hold as deepest secrets and issues will surface into a horrible nightmare tonight."

"Totally evil…," Mesogog mused, leaning forward to watch as her computer displayed the images of five sleeping rangers. It zoomed in on the first—Trent, passed out at Cyberspace, still. Suddenly, he began shifting uncomfortably. "Totally brilliant."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"Do you think we should try and move him?" Tommy suggested, still staring at the snoring teenager propped against the table. "I mean, we'll have to close eventually."

"Yeah, he's not looking so good, actually…," Hayley realized then, seeing the White Ranger twist his face in pain—a drastic change from the peaceful look that had been adorning it for quite a while now.

"Trent?" Tommy frowned, taking a step towards the boy and calling out to him. "Trent? Wake up, kid."

As he reached out towards the White Ranger, both their Dino Gem bracelets began to glow. The Black Ranger blinked a few times, staring oddly at his black gem until Hayley called his name.

But she didn't get an answer. Her college friend merely sat down at the table beside Trent, and went off into an odd trance she simply couldn't shake him from; no matter how worriedly she shook him.

But he was gone into a world of dreams, somehow transported by the Dino Gems. One moment he was at Cyberspace trying to wake Trent, the next he was watching the teen, clad in his White spandex, battle monsters from the comics he drew as a hobby.

"What's going on?" Tommy frowned, looking around. He noticed he was in his Ranger suit as well, and was quick enough to realize the monsters had seen him too. Drawing his Brachio Staff to hand, he attacked the nearest creature, jumping into battle alongside the White Ranger.

"Dr. O?" Trent gasped, pushing a creature back with his Drago Sword. "I'm dreaming myself up some backup now?"

"You're not dreaming, Trent," Tommy hissed under the pressure of a monster. "At least…not me…something really weird is going on."

"Um…sure…"

"You fell asleep at Cyberspace and Hayley and I couldn't get you to move after the others left…you wouldn't wake," he continued. "I went to try, and wound up here…where is here, exactly?"

"Well, five minutes ago it was an art studio, and I was showing my work to Carson Brady, a famous comic artist...a nice dream, really," Trent revealed, before pointing at the large monster towering above the rest. "Then he morphed into _that_ thing and it switched into a bloody nightmare. Animated the monsters in my drawings and made them try to kill me."

"Well then he's the one we're after."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"Come on, Trent…just a little more and the nightmare's gone," Tommy whispered, and Hayley sat there, listening to the one-sided conversation going on somewhere in the dreamspace before her.

As confusing as it was, she figured she'd worked out what had happened, her fingers flying across her laptop keyboard for the ten minutes since Tommy had lapsed into this odd trance. Energy readings were fluctuating on the screen before her.

Surrounding the slumbering rangers was a significant amount of energy recognizable as Meso-monster force. Hayley had deduced that somehow, Mesogog, or Elsa, or anyone of the lackeys had created a dream monster, and that monster was keeping Trent locked in a nightmare of epic proportions.

But they probably hadn't expected the strong bond the Dino Gems formed, and the weird things that could happen around the ancient and most precious jewels. Apparently, that translated well into tapping into a Meso-monster induced dreamspace.

And now, Tommy was somewhere within Trent's nightmare, helping the White Ranger fight off his inner demons—quite literally, it appeared. Whatever they were fighting, it wasn't much longer before they finished it off, and slowly, Tommy's eyes fluttered open.

He sat back, blinking repeatedly. "What…what just happened?"

Trent's head rose from the table, finally, and he gained a similar confused stare, repeating the same line.

"Well," Hayley smiled, standing up. "I'm glad to say you two were off fighting nightmares long enough for me to figure it out."

She spun the laptop towards them, pride practically radiating from her pretty red head. On her screen were several graphs and charts, as well as something similar to a radar that was going nuts. "This chart detects the energy that Mesogog's monsters and experiments normally give off. This place is filled with it…"

"It's fading now," Trent stated, watching the pulsing red dots weaken and leave the structure he assumed was the Cyberspace building. "What does that mean?"

"You faced your nightmares," Tommy smiled. "And won."

"But why does that…I mean, how…I'm confused," Trent frowned, yawning slightly, stretching. "And tired."

"My best bet is that that energy was a monster or something sent into your subconscious mind to alter your dreams," Hayley stated, brining up another scan on her laptop. This time the screen was split in two, showing a scan of Tommy and Trent when they were fighting nightmares, and the other of them presently. "The Meso-energy was _insane_ when the two of you were in dreamland. Now? Nada."

"So that explains my nifty dreams warping into horrible nightmares…but how do we explain Dr. O joining me?" Trent questioned.

"It's got to be the Dino Gems," Tommy replied, staring at his Black Dino Gem. "The ancient energy composites that we haven't exactly fully explored yet…something must have triggered between the two sources and the Gems began to combat Mesogog's creature energy."

"If I nod and pretend like I know what you mean, is that okay?" Trent inquired, blinking a few times.

"_I_ understood you, Tom," Hayley laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "But I don't think the question here is how or anything like that…but more importantly, why? Why would he mold a monster to your dreams and attack you, Trent?"

"Well, there's that saying about dying in your dreams means dying in real life…," Trent sighed, despite the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Mesogog had targeted him, perhaps, because he wanted Anton Mercer gone, and destroying his only hope was the way to break him.

"But why _you_?" Tommy continued, before his eyes widened and he looked to Hayley. "Run a scan on the others at—"

"Already on it," she nodded, having thought the same thing. If the nightmare creator had gone after Trent, sleeping here at Cyberspace, who's to say it hadn't targeted the other Rangers, who were unaware and headed home to sleep.

"I'm going to try calling them," Trent suggested, standing up and getting out his phone. He dialed a few numbers, but none rewarded him with an answer. Then, as Hayley and Tommy whispered frantically behind him, he tried the one line that was never busy and without an answering machine—the Dino Bracelet. "Conner? Are you there, dude? Hello? Anyone? Kira? Kaylee? Ethan? Guys, this is important!"

He turned back to his mentor and boss, shaking his head, and they exchanged worried looks. He made his way over to them and peered over their shoulders, staring at the computer screen. A scan of four separate houses in Reefside indicated exactly what they were afraid of—the other Rangers were asleep, and dreaming under the influence of Mesogog's monster.

"Shit," Trent cursed, grabbing his jacket from his chair.

"Where are you going?" Hayley called as he headed for the door.

"Conner's!" he yelled back. "He's closest, right?"

"What are you going to do?" Tommy asked. "He's already asleep and in a nightmare—he won't wake!"

"I'll just have to snap him out of it," Trent smiled, tapping his Dino Bracelet with one hand, his grin turning mischievous. "Time to go invade the dreams of a soccer jock."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"I'm not kidding, Kira," Conner smiled, leaning down and placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "There's no one else. Just you. I don't care that it's not simple. I really don't. Mesagog wants to use this as my weakness? Bring it on. You're not a weakness…you'll give me strength."

"I'm sorry I pushed you away…," she breathed, staring up at him, smiling brilliantly. It warmed him to see her positive now—maybe he was making progress. Maybe he was truly getting through to her, showing her that he cared about her, and that they could do this. Maybe—

Suddenly the whole setting of his dream (because he was sad to admit that's all it was) shifted, and the pleasant park they sat in gained darker overtones. It didn't look or feel right to him—and it only worsened when she stepped away from him, still smiling.

Hunter was there, standing with her, having appeared from out of nowhere. She stepped back against him, and the Crimson Ranger snickered. "But she's pushing you away for good reason, dude. She's mine."

"_What_?!" Conner's eyes widened, looking from the petite Yellow Ranger to the towering Crimson one. "No…you…you two just met. That…that's not…what about _simple_?"

"Not a Ranger," Hunter shrugged smugly. "Simple."

"What? But—"

"Sorry, Conner, but I'm cutting my losses. I'll end up getting hurt with you…and besides," the Yellow Ranger practically sneered, head held high and tone snobbish, leaning back into Hunter's arms. "Motocross is _way_ cooler than soccer."

"Okay, now I _know_ this isn't my dream anymore," the Red Ranger muttered. "I've never pegged you like all those other stuck up cheerleaders and bitches. _Ever_. This is…this isn't right. Something…why is this happening?"

"Because it's turned into a nightmare," a voice stated, and Conner turned to see Trent standing there, newly morphed, holding his Drago Sword.

"With you here? Obviously," he rolled his eyes. He watched as Trent summoned his glowing arrows, and stepped back, wary of the White Ranger. "Oh, come on? A nightmare that blows my self esteem and chance with Kira, then kicks me when I'm down by having _you_ beat on me? Totally uncool."

"These aren't for you," Trent commented, before firing the arrows past the Red Ranger, who turned, yelling a warning at Kira and Hunter.

Only…it wasn't them anymore. While his back had been turned, the two had morphed into creatures only Mesogog was capable of creating. A monstrous and disfigured Pterodactyl and Beetle now faced him, tall, looming, menacing.

"What the f—" A Ptera Scream ripped through the air, knocking Conner off his feet and sending him flying back into a park bench. He cursed loudly, looking up a little dazed. He watched as Trent lunged towards the beetle monster, Drago Sword slashing away.

Pushing himself to his feet, he reacted swiftly, calling on his morpher. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!" In moments, red spandex stretched across his body, and he summoned his Tyranno Staff fast enough to block to Pterodactyl's oncoming charge. "Kira? What the hell! Snap out of it!"

He was met with a growl and a slash of her arrow-pointed tail that knocked his feet out from under him, sending him crashing. "Well…not really the usual usage of '_sweeping me off my feet_', but I'll roll with it," Conner stated, rolling away from the yellow monster.

"Dude, even in your dreams, you're corny," Trent chuckled, pulling his leader to his feet.

"And even in my dreams, you're annoyingly present," he bit back. "Why the hell did I dream your help and not Ethan's or Kaylee's?"

"Because I'm actually here," he sighed, shaking his head before roaring, going into Super Dino Mode. "Now, let's get rid of them before your parents wake to hear voices in your room and find me sitting there, in some freaky trance."

"_What_?!" Conner exclaimed, totally confused as Trent rushed off towards the two creatures.

"Fight now, explain later!"

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

Conner bolted up in bed, sweating, just after the monsters exploded. The whole dream replayed on fast-forward in his mind—him admitting to Kira the truth, her and Hunter together, him and Trent fighting their monstrous versions. "That was a shit nightmare," he groaned, flopping back down on his pillow, exhausted. Lifting his arm up, his watch told him it was just past midnight.

"Tell me about it," a voice sounded on the futon beside his bed, and he shot up again, eyes wide, staring through the darkness.

"Trent?!" he sputtered, disbelieving. "What…how…"

"Your window was open?" The White Ranger offered, chuckling, but it only caused the Red Ranger to stare harder, eyes narrowing.

"Explain. Now."

And so, Trent ran him through what they'd discovered at Cyberspace, from the dreams becoming nightmares thanks to today's Mesomonster, to Hayley figuring out the connection between Dino Gems, to him coming here to help.

Of course, he tuned down the geek speak to a minimum even Conner could understand.

"So…," Trent trailed off, smirking. "What were dreaming about _before_ I showed up?"

"Christmas elves," he stated flatly, glaring. "Evil Christmas elves."

"Uh-huh. And Kira and Hunter were there, _why_, then?" the smirk increased, and it was rewarded with a mini red soccer ball to the face.

"Well, you helped me chase off Mesogog's nightmare monster. Congrats. Your job's done," Conner muttered. "Now, get lost."

"Sure. I've got to head to Kira's next anyway," he shrugged, getting up, his grin growing yet again. He caught the glint in Conner's eyes and knew he was getting to him.

"_Why_?"

"Wake her from her nightmare, duh. Hayley's scans indicate that the monster is attacking all the Ranger's dreams, so I'm making the rounds before something bad happens. Kira's closest."

He turned, ready to climb back out the window but Conner leapt from bed, headed for the nearest pair of jeans. "Hold it right there, Drago Boy."

_Gotcha!_ Trent snickered internally, before frowning_ Man, I'm spending too much time around Kaylee…I'm starting to meddle on purpose._

"Coming with?" he smirked; making sure amusement was evident in his voice.

"No—going instead," Conner retaliated, taking his turn to smirk. "You're heading back to Hayley and Dr. O to report."

"What? No, I—"

"That's an _order_," the Red Ranger pressed, grinning, holding up his morpher as if to stress his authority. "There's no way I'm letting you sneak into Kira's bedroom, in the dark, while she's asleep."

"And you're so much better?"

"I'm team leader," he chuckled truthfully.

"I hate you," the White Ranger grumbled, causing a victory cheer to erupt from the other teen. He dashed out of his own window at super speed, leaving Trent to climb down and amble his way back to Cyberspace.

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"Conner, back off," Kira pleaded, placing herself between the two bickering Rangers. He and Hunter glared at one another over her head.

She'd been having a perfectly nice time hanging out at Cyberspace with Hunter, when suddenly, the atmosphere had changed—darker, menacing, threatening…and Conner had shown up. He'd immediately started pushing Hunter around, and never one to back down from a fight, the ninja had pushed back.

Now, she was trapped between the two, trying to calm them and stop the inevitable fight they were having over _her_. Seriously, that was not a pleasant feeling. She didn't care that this was a dream…or a nightmare…or _whatever_. If this is how her subconscious wanted to point out her problems, she was damn well going to prove it wrong and overcome them.

"Look, she already told you to back off, so how's about you take a hint and get lost?" Hunter sneered, glaring at the Red Ranger. "Clearly, she's not interested."

"She is. She's just hiding it…since you're so much _simpler_," he bit back, eyes finding hers a moment, causing a rush of guilt to flow through her.

"Look, you stupid jock, you lost this fight. Long before it started. She. Moved. On."

"No, she—"

"Both of you stop it!" Kira yelled, finally hitting her breaking point, almost using the Ptera Scream in her frustration. God, why did dreams have to be so maddening? "Stop speaking for me—I'm perfectly capable of making my own damn choices!"

"Really?" eyebrows rose on both boys, and they stepped away from her, side-by-side. Tilting their heads almost childishly, curiously, smirking.

"Then what is your choice, Kira?"

"Yeah. Cuz we're a little lost."

"Is it me, or him?"

"Yeah. Which is it? Who do you like more?"

"Who's better for you?"

"Who's it gonna be?"

And just like that, they had turned on her, closing in, predatory, demanding. Her eyes widened and panic struck, causing her to back away fearfully. The more they questioned her, the closer they came, and the angrier they got when she produced no answer.

Eventually, she hit the wall. Both metaphorically and physically, since Cyberspace ended behind her and there was nowhere to run. "This is…this is a dream…I…I can just wake up…," and so she tried, screwing her eyes shut. But nothing happened and when she opened her eyes, she was met with two huge and towering creatures. Red and Crimson versions of the Fossilador stood there, growling (albeit much smaller than the actual Fossilador that she'd awakened a while ago).

Panic taking over, Kira unleashed a particularly devastating Ptera Scream—or so she thought. Really, no sound escaped her mouth, and they remained there, chuckling as they hovered closer, growling.

Just as the red Fossilador reached out with large spiny claws, a Tyranno Staff smacked it across the face, sending it sprawling into the crimson one. Frowning, Kira looked up to see a suited up Conner standing there, probably glaring at the monsters through his helmet. "Conner?" she squeaked, mentally cursing her weak voice.

"Hey, Rockstar," he mused, holding a hand down to her. "Thought you might need a hand facing your demons."

"What…what's going on?" she questioned, looking from the red Fossilador crunching its own bones as it tried to stand, to the red-clad Ranger before her. "There's two of you?"

"Please, babe, I'm one of a kind," he joked, causing her to glare at the use of the term. He raised his hands his defense. "Rockstar. I totally meant Rockstar. Honest."

"What. Is. Going. On," she seethed, hands balling into fists.

"I'm real, they're not," he stated simply, although it served only to confuse her more. He opened his mouth to explain it all when the crimson Fossilador crashed into him, roaring angrily. The red one zero-ed in on Kira, bony tail smashing against the ground.

She gulped, fear striking at her heart again as it advanced towards her.

"Rockstar, listen to me!" Conner yelled over the crimson monster's shoulder, keeping it from biting him by shoving the Tyranno Staff down its throat. "A Mesomonster made dreams turn into nightmares. The only way we're getting out of here is by facing and eliminating your fears! These two are them, clear—"

His words were cut off by a powerful and anguished cry of pain that erupted the moment the crimson Fossilador got its maw around his weapon and bit into his shoulder with large pointed teeth.

"Conner!" she yelled, springing to her feet.

"It's alright. I'm right here, babe," the red Fossilador spoke, using the jock's voice, teasing her. Her eyes narrowed up at the monster, hands balling into fists again. Her eyes flashed from the monsters and the threat they posed, to the injured Conner, rolling away from the crimson creature trying to crush his skull.

Hatred burned in her eyes and one hand flew to her morpher, activating it.

"Don't call me—" yellow spandex molded onto her body, a Ptera Scream ringing in the distance, "—babe!"

Ptera Grips were summoned to her hands in an instant, and shoved into the red Fossilador's chest.

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

Kira gasped as she bolted up in bed, chucked back to consciousness from her nightmare as the Fossiladors exploded. It was a moment later that she noticed her right hand was holding onto something, and she looked down to see someone's hand entwined with hers.

Giving it a squeeze, she leaned over the edge of her bed to see Conner slumped against her nightstand, exhausted. She wanted to ask how he'd gotten there, why he was there, or how any of this made sense—but seeing the pain on his face erased all those thoughts, and she clambered out of bed, kneeling beside him. "Conner? You alright?"

"No. Dream Hunter seriously kicked my ass…," he muttered, looking up at her and rubbing his shoulder with his free hand. "For the second time tonight."

"Sorry," she apologized sweetly, giving his hand another squeeze. They realized then they were still holding on, and she let go, glad for the darkness that he couldn't see her slight blush. "I'm confused," she grinned sheepishly.

"Mesogog somehow made a monster to screw with our dreams, or something. I'm not sure…Trent didn't explain very well. Or maybe I just wasn't listening."

"Trent? What…seriously, what's going on?"

"To summarize: Mesomonster screws with our dreams, turning them into hell-bound nightmares. Somehow, the Dino Gems reverse that—or at least, when two Gems connect, it somehow lets us dream-jump. Once the nightmare's over and the fear destroyed—you're free to go."

"And you know this how?"

"Happened to Trent first—Tommy and Hayley figured it out. Made a quick scan and realized it was going after us too, so Trent came to me and got me out. He was gonna come here next but…well…I sent him packing," he finished, grinning, proud of himself. She rolled her eyes, but that didn't stop her smile from breaking through.

"My hero," she teased, placing a hand over her heart to emphasize her sarcasm.

"Shut up," he laughed, and for a moment, the nightmares they'd both endured, all the pain, the suffering, and everything going on in their tumultuous lives seemed to vanish. It was just them, their laughter, and this comfortable darkness surrounding them.

Conner seemed to notice this first, and fell silent, brown and hazel eyes drifting into a daze in one another. "Um…Kira…I—"

"_Conner, did you manage to snap Kira out of it?"_ Trent's voice came in over their bracelets, loud and clear.

"Yeah, but I'm still having a nightmare," he muttered, causing the dirty blonde beside him to giggle slightly.

"_What?_"

"Nothing. You talked to Hayley and Dr. O?"

"_Yeah. And they're saying we should check on Ethan next. His scan is showing he's already far into the nightmare._"

"We'll take care of it and check back when he's up."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"Kaylee, please, I never meant for any of this…," Ethan nearly sobbed, reaching out to the blonde in the middle of New York City's ravaged street. All around them, buildings were crumbling and burning, citizens running around frantically, chased by robots with lasers and other weapons. In the sky, several robots and war-machines zoomed about, polluting the air and wrecking havoc with their supreme technology.

Technology _he'd_ created. Guilt played heavy on his heart, but no more so then right now as he stood there, staring at the girl of his dreams (a/n: yeah, I know…Double-sided pun, B-A-D) watching the hate burn in her eyes.

Red and blue eyes. One robotic, one human. Much like most of her was now.

She was a full Cyborg, after getting caught up in a battle she couldn't win… "It was the only way to save you," he told her, begging.

"You should have let me die, Ethan," she glared, voice warbled and half computerized. "Why did you put me through this?"

"I couldn't lose you."

"I was never yours to begin with," Kaylee snapped. "I wasn't yours to lose. Besides…a Bill Gates 2.0…all the money in the world, having created the most valuable technology on the planet…capable of reviving the _dead_,"—this was said bitterly, mind you—"You had it all! You didn't need to put me through this. Ever!"

Suddenly, the red robotic eye began to glow, and as explosions took over the street around them, the machine parts began to shine like liquid mercury, spreading to the still human parts of her body. "No!" Ethan pleaded. "Don't do this!"

Suddenly there was no more sweet and innocent blonde, but a strong, cold and heartless machine. A instinctive technological killer. Red eyes focused on Ethan, and a sick smile crossed those cold metal lips. "Game over," she sneered, raising one arm towards him. A large green orb began to form on the palm of her hand, and a sniveling Blue Ranger remained there, on his knees, unmoving.

But the blow never came. A massive blast of yellow soundwaves ripped through the air, smashing into the metallic Green Ranger and shipping her to the other side of the street. Blinking, Ethan looked up to see a morphed Yellow Ranger.

"Quit crying and get up, Ethe, it's a freakin' dream," Kira stated, although not as harshly as her words. She helping him to his feet.

"This isn't a dream. It's a bloody nightmare!" he cried, the shock of seeing her evident on his face, although she didn't know why.

"Tell me about it," she muttered, looking around. "Post-apocalyptic New York City, _à-la-Terminator_." Her gaze slid back to him, her tone amused. "You stay up late watching _Judgment Day _and _Rise of the Machines_ again?"

"No…he invented the world's most advanced and adaptable technology," the mechanical Kaylee responded, making her way back towards them, re-attaching her arm as she went. "Something that cost you your pretty little life, _best friend_."

"A post-apocalyptic New York dream where I'm _dead_?" Kira exclaimed, rounding on Ethan. "Dude, you suck!"

"What?" he frowned, suddenly aware she was _aware_ this was a dream.

"Not to mention where my best friend is a freaking evil robot! Not more sci-fi movies for you once you wake up!"

"What?" he repeated, blinking. "I'm…I'm lost."

"I'll give you the recap later," Kira stated, before motioning towards the robotic blonde. "Right now, we have bigger problems to deal with."

Ethan looked up then, and noticed that the silvery girl had gained massive rocket launchers on her shoulders, and a sick grin on her lips. "Duck!" he yelled, barreling into Kira and causing the rockets to miss her by just an inch as she fell to the ground.

"Thanks," she smiled beneath her helmet, before patting him on the shoulder. "Now, let's get moving, Ethe. Move your little self on."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"And Kaylee?" the Blue Ranger asked once Kira was done explaining what information Conner had given to her earlier. "How is she?"

She thought about it a moment, pondered what answer to give him. She'd been in his head, in his dreams—one where he'd cried over what his inventions had cause Kaylee, one where his guilt had begun to overrun him, letting a desolate Green Ranger nearly crush him.

And so—she lied. "She's fine. Trent was headed there after checking in with us to—"

"Trent just called, said no one's answering the phone at the Hanson residence, which means Tori's not home either," Conner stated, walking into the room. Fear struck in Ethan's eyes, and they narrowed at Kira.

"What?" she grinned sheepishly.

Without a word, he bolted from the room, Dino Gem glowing, intent on being that lovely little Knight in Shining Armor he'd always wanted to be. Groaning, Kira stood up, waltzed over to Conner, and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" he cried out. "What was _that_ for?!"

"For telling him!" she hissed, and he blinked repeatedly, confused. "I was trying not to draw attention to the last Ranger dreamin'."

"Why?"

"Because he'd do just that—he'd run off and go play hero."

"What's so bad about playin' hero?" he frowned, thinking of her teasingly calling him that earlier. "I did."

"True. But I'm not taken and although complicated, the feeling's mutual."

It hit him then, remembering the argument and ensuing fight between their Blue Tricera Ranger, and the former Yellow Lion Ranger from their little encounter with the prehistory Pharaoh. It had ended well, to a degree, but it had unleashed hidden feelings and things between Kaylee and Ethan had changed.

And he'd just sent the Ranger rushing off to saved the trapped damsel he cared for, when she already had a Knight. "Shit," he sighed, face-palming. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're just a bit of a dork," she laughed affectionately, getting her phone out.

"Who are you calling?"

"The real hero."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"Kaylee?" Ethan called, walking through the dark Ninja Ops. It was quite a lot smaller and cramped than he remembered, and it was then he remembered her claustrophobia. "Kaylee, you alright?"

But he wasn't met with an answer from the blond he was looking for. Instead, Dustin stepped out from another room, wrapped in a black cloak. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Dustin…hi…," Ethan trailed off, momentarily wondering whether this was really Dustin, somehow having been alerted to the situation and zwopped into Kaylee's dreamland after him, but making it here first—or a dream Dustin. Either way, he was now hellishly uncomfortable. "I was just…looking for Kaylee."

"She's back there," he nodded over his shoulder. "She's fine."

"Can I see her? This is supposed to be a nightmare and I'm worried tha—"

"God, just get rid of him, will you?" a snide voice demanded, and for a moment, Ethan was afraid he'd lapsed into his own nightmare, facing an unstable and resentful Kaylee. But it wasn't the friendly blonde he knew and cared for that stepped out of the room behind Dustin, but Marah, make-up heavy and clad in the same dark cloak as Dustin. "He's so annoying and lovesick, it's disgusting."

"You?" Ethan frowned, staring at the brunette. "What are you…?"

And then it hit him. Kaylee's nightmare didn't just involved Ninja Ops closing in on her claustrophobic frame—it also held the one person she'd ever felt threatened by when it came to Dustin, the one girl he'd reached out to and bonded with.

But that also meant this was dream Dustin, and that meant Ethan had no problem forcing his way past the ninja. "I want to see Kaylee," he stated forcibly. "Move."

"Ooooh, look at the little Blue Ranger, playing tough," Marah giggled, high-pitched and annoying. "Barking orders like he means it."

"I do," he glared, hands balling into fists. They flashed blue as his scales reached up his arms and he took a step forward. "Move."

* * *

--In—Your—Dreams—

* * *

"I'm sorry we didn't call you earlier," Kira apologized as she and Conner followed Dustin down the hallway to the apartment of the Hanson sisters. He'd come directly here after she'd phoned him, going as far as ninja-streaking. "I was gonna try and avoid telling Ethan but…"

Her eyes fell upon Conner, who chuckled nervously. "I kinda screwed up that plan."

"It's alright. As long as we don't tell Tori about us leaving her sister in a situation like this, we won't be brutally murdered," Dustin laughed.

"Where is Tor, anyway?" Kira asked.

"Having some girl's night at Kelly's with her and Leanne. Now that Kelly's ranger-awareness is present, they have fun spending time, talking about past events with her," Dustin shrugged, fishing his keys out of his pocket. However, when they reached the door, they noticed the lock had been viciously battered—probably by Ethan, with his scaly strength. "Not suspicious at all. Nice going, little blue nerd."

They snuck inside, immediately noticing the only light on was coming from Kaylee's bedroom, and even then, it was pale. "Dolphin nightlight," Kira assumed, before Ethan's voice reached their ears.

"Its okay, Kaylee, trust me. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine. They're not real, either of them. It's just your fear talking. You beat that fear, and they're gone, big bug head and all," they hear him say, and as they reach the doorway to Kaylee's room, they find him kneeling beside her bed in a trance, holding her hand, green and blue Dino Gems shinning. "Trust me, Kaylee. I'm here for you."

Conner groaned, laying his forehead on Kira's head as if to say "please, shoot me for encouraging this."

"That's it, Kaylee. Let 'em have it!" Ethan whispered, a small smile etching onto his unconscious features. "Please, Kaylee, I know you can beat them. You're better than them, stronger, awesomer."

"Awesomer?" Kira nearly choked through laughter, before Conner shushed her.

"I really don't like hearing this one-side conversation," Dustin sighed, looking at them with a pleading expression. "Are you sure we can't interrupt?"

"No clue what two people entering her mind would be like," Kira shrugged apologetically. "We're just going to have to wait."

"And listen while he tries to convince her I'm a moron who's head over heels for Marah and _he's_ right for her?" the former Yellow Ranger exclaimed, spitting out the words he'd just heard Ethan say. "I swear, when that little blue nerd wakes up I'm going to—"

And suddenly, just like that, Kaylee bolted up in bed, breathing heavily. Beside her, Ethan swayed, eyes flickering open and conscious mind returning to him. They had only a split second to take in their surroundings before Dustin grabbed the Blue Ranger, pinning him against a wall. Picture frames shook.

"Dustin!" The Green Ranger yelled, confused and shocked. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should've a long time ago," he muttered, glaring at Ethan. "Warning…no…_ordering_ this little lovesick puppy to _back off my girlfriend_!"

"What?" Kaylee frowned, looking from one to the other, and then noticing Conner and Kira were in the room as well. "What's going on?"

"He didn't explain any of it to you, did he?" Kira chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm not surprised. Really just _had_ to play hero."

"Guys…the hell is going on!" Kaylee demanded a little more emphatically this time.

"I'll give you the cliff-notes I gave Kira earlier," Conner stated, stepping up. "Mesomonster screws with our dreams, turning them into hell-bound nightmares. Somehow, the Dino Gems reverse that—or at least, when two Gems connect, it somehow lets us dream-zwop. Once the nightmare's over and the fear destroyed—you're free to go."

"Only Ethan used this to his advantage, didn't he?" Dustin questioned, glaring at the Blue Ranger. Struggling to make his toes touch the ground, Ethan bit back.

"Do you blame me?" he asked. "You're supposed to be her boyfriend, her protector or whatever. But you're never around! You're always off in Blue Bay doing your Sensei crap! She misses you constantly, and the only time she gets to see you in a long while is when you get turned evil and try to kill her? What the hell kind of a relationship is that?"

"Who the hell are you to judge?" Dustin snapped. "This isn't your place—"

"Well I'm making it my place! Kaylee's my friend and I care about her a whole lot more than she knows! I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching the distance between you two affect her! That nightmare was proof enou—"

But he didn't make it much further, because for the second time in the last couple weeks, Dustin's fist connected with his jaw. Last time, it had been more of a warning, a little stingy revenge for putting his girlfriend in danger. This time?

It was a full out pain-filled message. "I think you're a good guy, Ethe, really. And if you wanna prove that right, you'll stay out of things that don't concern you."

"Dustin's right, Blue Boy," Kaylee spoke up, finally finding her voice. "I think you're sweet, really. But…you're a sweet _friend_, Ethe."

"I know…," he sighed. He'd silently made his peace long ago, decided and accepted that she was in love with Dustin, and he with her, and that his little crush would not play out. But there was always that flicker of hope he held on to…

He bowed his head in defeat. "I'm sorry. That probably doesn't mean much anymore but…I really am sorry. I know it's not my place, and…and I don't think I'm going to try anything this stupid again. My jaw…probably can't take any more beating."

A ghost of a smile appeared on everyone's lips as the Blue Ranger made a joke of his predicament. It probably wasn't something they were going to mention for awhile, but at least things were somewhat resolved.

But on a positive note the teens remained unaware of—somewhere far away; Elsa was on the verge of torture for yet _another_ failed attempt at eliminating the Rangers.

* * *

**_Author's Note: And so we come to chapter thirty, with a darker look at the Ranger's issues and problems. Thanks to Lily Hanson again for motivating me so very well and for you guys for waiting and reviewing!_**


	31. Wormhole

**_Wormhole_**

**

* * *

In a not so distant future…**

As the alarmed blared, flashing red over and over again, the five Rangers ran into the control room, the lines on their dark grey uniforms reflecting their own colors. There were three boys, in Red, Blue and Crimson, and two girls, clad in Green and Yellow.

"What's going on?" Red demanded, staring at their canine officer in command who stood before the computer system.

"Morgana has vanished," the dog-man replied, turning to face his Rangers. "Along with her Krybots, Grinders, ship…everything."

"Yes!" Blue grinned. "She's retreated!"

"We won!" the two girls cheered, joined by Crimson. But their celebration was cut short in the middle of high-fives as their commander stepped forward, raising his hands.

"Enough!"

"Hello, hello, celebration time!" Blue chuckled. "You said it yourself; Morgana is gone! That's one less threat to NewTech, one of earth's final hopes!"

"Yes, she's gone. But you know just as well as I after defeating Gruumm that his former aid, Morgana, will not retreat. Not with that _creature's_ machine power at her disposal."

"Commander," his name was called then, and he turned to see his long-time friend and technical expert seated at the computer, pointy ears flickering with annoyance. "I've found something. I was scanning the far reaches of the Chimerian Nebula when I found this."

Suddenly, the monitor lit up with the image of a large swirling hole, many colors mixing within its massive frame.

"A wormhole?"

"Yes," she nodded. "A temporal wormhole. And there are traces of Troobian energy inside the rim."

"Sounds like retreating to me," Red commented.

"That's what she wants us to think," the Commander scoffed.

"Sir, then where's she going?" Blue frowned.

"The more important question…what _time_ is she going to?"

* * *

--Wormhole—

**

* * *

Present day…**

"_**If your sorrow ends tomorrow,  
That's my love and it's telling you to begin**_," Kira sang, strumming on her guitar, seated on the park bench. "_**You're only feeling human,  
Breathe it through and head to the light again**_

_**Ooh ooh, ooh ooh  
You've got your life to live  
Ooh ooh, ooh ooh  
Let it go, and don't let lonely grow…"**_

"Is that new?" Hunter asked, looking up at her from his spot on the grass, leaning back against the bench just by her knees. Dustin was across from him, lying on the grass, totally in tune with his element and enjoying the music; while Trent sketched the dirty blonde rocker and Ethan played his game.

"Yeah. Kaylee and I are still working on it," she nodded, hugging her Ptera Guitar (something her best friend had affectionately named it) closer. "You like?"

"It was awesome," he grinned, causing a light blush to creep onto her cheeks as she mirrored his smile. But their gazes didn't lock for long, as a red soccer ball smacked into his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Sorry!" Conner called from the small open field where he was playing a one-on-one match with Kaylee, who was trying in vain to mask her giggle.

As Kira glared at the red-clad soccer star, Hunter picked up the ball and tossed it back, smiling as if he didn't feel the animosity behind that "accidental" kick. "It's cool, bro. Motocross tracks kick harder!" he joked, but most present heard the underlying taunt.

"Smooth," Dustin chuckled, shaking his head.

"What?" the former Crimson Ranger frowned innocently at his friend.

Swearing from the blue-clad figure on a rock nearby made the four teens turn to see Ethan huddled on his seat, playing his handheld game, face scrunched up in anger.

"You okay, dude?" Dustin asked.

"No!" Ethan whined, looking up pitifully at the dirt head he'd recently made peace with. He knew from Kaylee that the motocrosser also played a lot of video games in his spare time, and would be the only one sympathetic to his plight. "I was just about to defeat the dreaded Maxodrone!"

"You actually made it to the end of the game?" Dustin inquired, amazed. "Wicked."

"Yeah. Only then his evil ship came by and destroyed all that I did, making me restart the _last_ level! A _two_ _hour_ level! Can you believe it?"

"It's just a game, Ethan," Kira chuckled, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you're acting as if it's real, man," Hunter added.

"Well, what if it _is_ real?" the Blue Ranger spoke, causing them all to exchange skeptical looks. He had one of those nerdy glints in his eyes that foreshadowed geek-speak rambling. "What if this game is really an ancient diary telling about a real event that happened in a distant galaxy, far, far, away?"

"Ethan?" Kira called sweetly, before her tone turned sardonic as per usual. "Your mind is the only thing that's far, far away."

"Ohh!" Trent and Hunter laughed, while Dustin smiled apologetically.

"Dude, I'm a fan of video gaming and all too…but I have to agree with my fellow yellow," he chuckled, reaching out to stop a soccer ball rolling slowly towards them. They all looked over as Conner flopped onto the grass beside him, groaning.

"Dude…I give…your girlfriend's smoked me in _three_ games already!" he complained, messy brown hair falling around him in the grass. "Help?"

"No way. Racing on dirt is my thing, not eating it," he patted him on the back as Kaylee came to sit, smiling up at Kira.

"So, how's the song sounding?"

"Awesome," Yellow and Crimson answered together, eliciting a pale blush from both.

"But it's been interrupted by Ethan's history lesson," Trent pointed out.

"History lesson?" Conner frowned, quite lost.

"Yeah, on something he learned from his handheld Geek Boy," Kira commented.

"Game Boy," Dustin politely corrected her, smiling.

"Alright, alright," the Blue Ranger conceded, lifting his hands in defeat. "It's not ancient galactic history."

"Finally…"

"But it could be the future," he smiled proudly, causing his friends to face-palm.

"Dear lord, Ethe, what—"

But the ground shaking and a loud explosion drowned out any further words between the teens. Looking up to the sky, the Rangers watched as a huge ship obscured the sky, bright beams of light reaching towards the ground, scanning things left, right and center. It wasn't long before people had noticed the monstrous aircraft and had begun running away from it, screaming.

It's wasn't long before a beam of light reached them, scanned them, and the whole ship zoomed off quickly. Blinking repeatedly, the Rangers and two motocrossers frowned.

"The Hell?" the blonde threw her arms into the air. "When did Meso-loser get a big shiny space ship?"

"Somehow…I don't think that was Mesogog," Kira told her friend.

* * *

—Wormhole—

* * *

"A wormhole is a thin tube of space-time connecting distant reaches of the universe that could provide the possibility of time travel," the feline doctor informed Rangers Red, Blue and Green.

"Einstein's theory of relativity," Blue nodded, understanding, causing Red and Green to pass a look around him, a little awed.

"Correct," she smiled, looking at her old friend. "Commander?"

"I believe Morgana's new robotic commander has become frustrated with the resistance shown here in Newtech, and the whispers that soon, we won't be the only Ranger Team against him. He wants the threats gone."

"How?" Crimson frowned, even if deep down, he already knew the answer.

"By eliminating the two Rangers that started the resistance in the other city, back in a time where they are unaware of their future accomplishments," he sighed.

"We can't just let him do that," Green stated, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "If he's sent Morgana after them, we have to stop her."

"We will," the Commander affirmed. "We will go after him."

"…into the wormhole?" she asked, a little uncertain now.

"Yes. But I am sending just the three of you. I can't leave the present unprotected. Say your goodbyes and report to Delta Launch in five minutes. And remember, not a word that will change the outcome of the timeline."

Saluting him, Green and Red headed for the door, but Blue paused, frowning. "Um…sir? When you say _'say your goodbyes'_, do you mean '_say goodbye_' as in _'see you later_', or do you mean _'say goodbye'_ as in…_**'goodbye**_'?"

Although confusing, the Commander and Doctor were used to his rambling, and exchanged worried looks.

"Wait," he spoke up, noticing their gazes lock. "Don't answer that."

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Okay, next time you predict the future like this, could you at least make us Rockstars?" Kaylee groaned as the Rangers and two ninjas trekked through the forest towards the Dino Lab.

"I didn't know it was gonna come true!" Ethan protested.

"How was he supposed to know he had freaky premonition powers from the depths of the evil sinkholes?" Kira asked, waving her hands about in an ominous manner. Kaylee gasped and ducked behind Dustin, making her best friend burst into laughter.

"Not funny," Kaylee glared.

"Play nice," Hunter whispered to the dirty blonde, patting her on the shoulder.

"We gotta find Dr. O," Conner pressed, his leadership tone emphasized by his annoyance. As he strode away from the group, headed for the path that would lead them to the Dino Lab eventually, he was quickly drawn to a stop when an invisiportal dumped Zeltrax and Tyrannodrones in his path.

"Well, you've found me instead!"

"At least it's a familiar face," Conner shrugged.

"Yeah. Great," Trent rolled his eyes, not amused.

"Rangers…," Zeltrax sneered, drawing his sword as the Tyrannodrones shifted, uneasy, ready for battle. "We fight again."

But they never made it to the actual fight, as suddenly, he and his Tyrannodrones were sucked upwards by a red orange light. They were carried all the way into the weird space ship, and the Rangers were left alone again as it zoomed off.

"Dude, what just happened?" Dustin inquired, blinking.

"I don't know, but it's certainly not something you see every day," Conner added.

"ABDUCTED!" Kaylee yelled, pointing the spot their enemy had just been standing and clinging to Dustin's arm. "BY ALIENS!"

"She fights revived dino-monsters every day and somehow, _this_ freaks her out?" Hunter frowned, staring at his former girlfriend.

"She's a strange case," Kira chuckled, causing an indignant squeak to leave the blonde as she whirled around to glare. Nervously, the Yellow Ranger added: "But I love her."

"You better, Tori 2.0," she stuck her tongue out at the Reefside rocker.

"Don't mean to be a bummer—" Conner sighed, starting on his path again.

"Yes you do," Kaylee giggled, teasing.

"—But we really should be headed for base," he finished, ignoring her. Realizing he was right, they followed.

"Wonder what they want with Zeltrax?" Trent voiced as they picked their way through the forest path.

"Does it really matter?" Kira chuckled. "Hopefully they'll take him into space and sell him for scrap metal."

"Whoever it is—"

"ALIENS!" Kaylee waved frantically, pointedly staring at the Blue Ranger.

"—it's all good. Zeltrax is gone, and so are they," he finished, smiling.

"Yeah…," Conner trailed off, freezing a few steps ahead of them. The others had to come to a quick halt for fear of slamming into his back. Before anyone could yell at him for stopping without warning, he motioned forwards into a clearing. "But they aren't."

The others followed his gaze to find a large shuttle pod, freshly landed amidst the trees, three figures stepping out. Confused and wary, the Dino Rangers and ninjas watched carefully, as the guy in Blue spotted them and waved happily.

"Conner, Kira, Ethan, Kaylee! Nice to see you guys again!" he grinned, before finding the other three with his eyes. "And this must be Trent, Dustin and Hunter."

Silent and confused, they exchanged nervous looks.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"So…," Zeltrax's captive breathed, hands behind her back, as she faced Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones. A large Vine Monster and two more stood behind her. "You are the one they call Zeltrax."

"You know my name, and now, you will know my wrath!" Mesogog's former right-hand-man growled, unsheathing his sword and moving towards the gothic woman. But she blocked the attack, cackling, and quickly brought Zeltrax to his knees.

She projected a blast of energy from her hands strong enough to shock him into submission, smiling sickly. "Now…the name's Morgana, former servant of the Troobian Empire and currently a General of the machine empire's army," she purred, leaning down to be at eye-level with him, the purple lightning bolt on her cheek practically glowing. "And I've got a proposition for you."

He remained silent, growling slightly, showing he was ready to hear it, at least. She smiled again. "You and your troops will help me strike down the Powers Rangers…or I will—"

"Stop," he demanded, pushing himself free of her grasp and chuckling as he stood up. "No need to go on. Eliminating the Power Rangers…it would be my pleasure!"

"Goody," she giggled, sounding all of about ten-years-old for an instance. "My warriors will help you."

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Sky," Kaylee stated, pointing at the guy with red lining to his uniform in a tone a five-year-old uses when they learn new words. Next game the guy in blue. "Bridge." And then the girl, in Green. "Z."

They nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing on their lips, and Ethan spoke up. "Okay, let me see if I have this straight," he began. "You guys are from the future, and you're Power Rangers?"

"And you're chasing a woman named Morgana, the future's Emo Barbie, who came to destroy us," Kira continued.

"So that she can change Ranger history, making future Ranger teams not exist to oppose her and her boss' future world takeover?" Hunter finished, amazed he'd gotten the words out properly.

"Exactly," Z nodded. "I'm amazed Emperor Gruumm never tried it before."

"Gruumm?" Trent frowned. "I thought you guys said she was working for some evil rogue computer system?"

"She is," Sky affirmed. "But before that, she worked for our Commander's arch-nemesis, Emperor Gruumm of the Troobian Empire."

"Yeah, he tried the world conquering thing before, but failed," Bridge continued. "See, he was using her as a ten-year-old, which is her true form before he made her grow up and stuck her like that for failing him, cuz she used to draw his monsters and make them bigger to fight our team, but we were totally better and—"

"In the end, we won," Z cut him off, patting him on the shoulder affectionately.

"And Morgana ditched him, evading capture, and began working for the evil computer dude, because she was mad at Gruumm for not re-making her into a ten-year-old," Bridge added, making his explanation all the more complicated. "And that's how she got the technology to time-jump back here to attack you guys."

"She's a ten-year-old, but she isn't?" Dustin blinked, sort of lost now. "I…I don't get it."

"It's a long story," Z replied, slapping a hand over Bridge's mouth when he tried to explain. "Which you will not corrupt more with adorable, albeit confusing, rambling."

"I get it," Kaylee shrugged like it was no big deal. "He makes perfect sense."

"_What?!_" the other Rangers exclaimed, shocked, while Bridge only leapt to hug her.

"I missed you!" he grinned. "You were the only one to fully understand the rambling!"

"I…okay, _now_ you lost me," she frowned.

"Well see—" he began what was probably another long and complicated ramble, but thankfully for those who didn't understand (everyone but Kaylee), Sky cut him off.

"You four," he pointed to Kaylee, Kira, Ethan and Conner "came to the future once before, back when Gruumm was still around, and helped us foil the plan one of his Generals, _Broodwing_, had cooked up."

"Wha…?" Kira trailed off, blinking. "We…future…but…what?"

Chuckling, Hunter patted her on the head, and she glared at him, crossing her arms. "Don't patronize me, Sparky, you don't get it either."

"Shut up," he laughed.

"Okay, let's go out on a limb and say you're telling the truth about all this," Conner stepped up then, arms crossed quite like Kira's. "Why don't we remember any of this?"

"Oh! I know!" Bridge raised his hand excitedly. "Because, see, even if we remember it being past tense, when I was Green, Sky was Blue, Z was Yellow, Syd was Pink and Jack was still around, you guys were really ahead in time. So it hasn't happened yet for you, but it happened a few months ago for us. Also, we erased your memory, because knowledge of the future would have a detrimental effect on it, causing it not to happen in the random matter that it's supposed to happen without retracting it."

"Mhm," Kaylee nodded, once again fully understanding him. The others stared at Z and Sky, agape.

"Yeah, we were hoping you could tell us," the Green SPD Ranger giggled. "We've given up trying."

"Here in our timeline, we haven't zwoomed to the future yet to help them. But from the timeline they come from, we already have. Also, they zwopped our memories, because if we bebembered stuff that's supposed to happen in the future, we might try to change it, and in the end, zwop our future and make it un-happen," Kaylee repeated, grinning.

"Oh," the Rangers breathed, causing the blonde to giggle.

"Hehe, I shall now be called Leanne, and you, Cam!" she declared, tapping Bridge on the shoulder, before frowning. "Minus the nerd-dating. I'm with him."

Dustin's cheeks reddened at his girlfriend's pointing, and waved slightly. "Hi."

"Actually…," Z trailed off, regarding the present-time teens. "It was past tense for us, Bridge, but its future for them."

"That's _so_ true! That's

Suddenly, Sky's wrist watch beeped and he brought it up, staring at the holographic screen. "Krybots and Grinders. I've got three separate readings," he announced, looking to Bridge and Z. "Okay, we've gotta split up." He glanced at the others, smiling stiffly. "You guys stay here, this is our fight!"

"Excuse me, not anymore," Kira scoffed. "Your Morgana has teamed up with _our_ Zeltrax, not to mention they're after us, according to you."

"She's right," Conner nodded.

"Of course _you'd_ agree," Kaylee teased, and he shot her a look.

"Your fight is now our fight."

"Yeah," the teammates behind him nodded. As the Rangers headed out, Dustin and Hunter followed, and Conner put his hand out to stop them.

"Hey, I said it was _our_ fight, meaning the Rangers," he chuckled. "Not you guys."

"Dude, nice joke, but seriously," Dustin chuckled, motioning to himself and Hunter with a wry smile. "Ninjas."

"See this face?" he asked, pointing at his face. "This is me—being totally serious."

Behind him, Kira face-palmed, and Kaylee realized this was because it brought up memories of Xmeaster and their mistletoe-kiss where he'd said the same thing.

"You just don't want me to tag along 'cuz you don't like me," Hunter countered, smirking as he motioned to Dustin. "And you can't admit it, so you won't even include your best friend."

"Fine, I don't want you tagging along," Conner shrugged, nonchalant. "Dustin can come, he's awesome. You can stay, 'cuz I'm team leader, and I don't like you, Electro-Boy."

"This _boy_ is your senior, dude, and perfectly capable of deciding where he can or cannot go," Hunter smirked, yet again pushing his buttons.

"Well, go chill in a senior's home while we handle things," he bit back. "I don't trust your formerly traitorous ass."

"You trust mine," Trent pointed out, causing the Red Ranger to glare.

"Don't flatter yourself. You've been vouched for."

"So has he," Kaylee stated, shaking her head at Conner's immaturity.

"Yeah, I've paid penance for being a prick," Hunter added. "Clearly, you haven't."

"I—"

"Are incorrigible," Kira breathed, passing him and grabbing Hunter's arm. She unleashed a particularly fierce glare as she went by the Red Ranger and followed the SPD Rangers, who'd let this argument play out.

"Hey!" Conner called after her as they headed out, chuckling. "No using words I don't understand!"

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Oh, no," SPD's technical expert gasped, staring at the charts on her screen.

"What is it?" the Commander inquired, coming closer.

"This isn't good, Doggie," she told him, pointing to one of the monitors that displayed the wormhole as it shifted and suddenly shrunk a few light-years. "The wormhole…it's closing. If they're not back within three hours…they don't be coming back."

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Ha!" an orange-head Krybot sent people scattering with a yell, leaping up onto the bench and pumping his fist into the air. "I claim this park in the name of the Machine Empire!"

"Not so fast, pumpkin head!" Z smirked, stepping into view alongside Kira and Kaylee.

"Yeah, this is _our_ park!" the blonde stuck her tongue out at him, arms crossed.

From between the two Green Rangers, Kira leapt forward, kicking the Orangehead as she passed it. On the other side, she struck a fighting pose as it fell off the bench. A mix of Krybots (normal and Blue-heads) and Grinders surrounded them and the girls smiled.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"The signal's getting strong," Bridge stated, watching the energy signals on his morpher. "They've gotta be around here."

"Uh, dude…," Dustin trailed off, tapping him on the shoulder. The future Blue Ranger looked up to see a mass of Krybots and Grinders standing before them. "Is that them?"

"Yup!" he grinned excitedly. "Found them!"

"Any last words, Ranger?" the leading Bluehead sneered, stepping forward.

"Yeah, actually," Bridge chuckled, raising his morpher. "SPD, Emergency!" Dustin and Ethan were left to witness their very first SPD Morph as Bridge's blue spandex uniform molded onto his frame, a large black number "2" on the left side of his chest.

Grinning under his helmet, he leapt forward, slashing at the group of Krybots. Swiftly, Ethan yelled out "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!" and fought alongside his fellow Blue Ranger, ramming some Grinders with his Tricera Shield.

A large Orangehead spotted Dustin, and analyzed him. "No morph. Not a Ranger. Easy target," his computerized voice spat, and he headed towards him. But the Earth Sensei merely smiled, his fingers twitching with anticipation. Once the Orangehead was close enough, his hands went into action, producing a Wind Academy symbol good enough to send a rippling shockwave through the earth and floor the enemy.

"Ninja, moron," he snickered.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Is that all you've got?" Conner taunted the group of Grinders and Krybots, smirking beneath his red helmet, trying to show the new guy how awesome he was, and trying to show Hunter just who has messing with. But his Alpha Male routine got the best of him when a Grinder leapt at him from the back, firing a laser and striking him dead-on. Cursing, the Red Dino Ranger went flying off the cliff, clinging to the edge for dear life. "Guess not…"

"Never underestimate the uglies, dude," Hunter mused, reaching a hand to help him up.

"I can get up fine on my own, thanks," he muttered, but quickly realized he couldn't, coming face-to-face with the Crimson Ninja's confident smirk. "Just shut up and help me, dude."

"Thought you didn't trust me?" he snickered, grabbing his arm but not pulling him over, not just yet. He wanted to play it like a game? Fine, Hunter could play it too.

"Well, I gotta figure you haven't just pushed me off and gotten rid of me yet…," he reasoned, and the ninja seemed to mull it over in his head.

"Hmm, interesting idea, though," he smiled, pulling the Dino Ranger back onto solid ground. Under his breath, he thanked him, dusted himself off, and rose to his feet quickly enough to draw his Tyranno Staff and stop a Grinder from crushing Hunter's skull. Struggling to push it back, Conner looked down at him, pointedly glaring for him to get up, a fact he knew even with the helmet in the way.

"We're even," he called, turning away to electrocute a Krybot with lightning, effectively stopping it from swiping at Sky's head.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Just give up!" the Orangehead taunted, kicking Kira to the ground. Angrily, she leapt back up, spin-kicked the creature, and blocked a blow aimed at her head.

"Now I'm mad," she glared, and nearby, Kaylee gulped, tossing away a Grinder and a Krybot.

"You might wanna run, pumpkin man!"

"Only cowards flee," he hissed, only to stare as Kira stood back, the visor on her helmet vanished, and she unleashed a powerful Ptera Scream, blowing the monster to pieces. Smirking, she let the visor settled back into place.

"At least they stay alive," she commented, before something went whizzing past her head. "Whoa!"

"Sorry!" Z apologized nearby, after having kicked a Grinder's head in that direction. She grabbed the blade aimed at her head, flipped through the air over her opponent, and pulled his arms back with the sword. Unfortunately, he leapt at her when she let go, and she dropped onto back, skidding against the grass, drawing her Deltamax Striker and firing off rounds of green energy.

As she slid past Kaylee, the other Green Ranger giggled, roundhouse kicking a Bluehead into a nearby picnic table. "Ha! Take that!"

But the Krybot isn't down for the count, and got up again, robotically snarling. It charged at her, power-bombing her onto the cold cement area of the park. Groaning, she rolled away before it could slam its foot onto her helmet and crush it.

Stepping in between them, the protective Yellow Ranger glared, fists clenched. "Now I'm _really_ mad," she hissed, summoning her Ptera Grips to hand. Running through the creature's retaliatory lightning blast, she lashes out, striking it in the middle of its chest.

Locking the blades together around its nick, she propelled herself into the air, spinning in a circle in a form of handstand in mid-air, using his neck as leverage. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't that strong, and with a sickening thud, Kira landed on her feet nearby while he crumbled away.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Time to get serious," Bridge stated, drawing out his Deltamax Striker as Ethan took out his Thundermax Laser, and the boys fired off a large blue blasted that melded together. It reached the menacing creature (an obvious mix of Orangehead Krybot and Grinder), and it struggled to withstand it.

"It's not going down!" Ethan complained, keeping up the fire.

"Then let's stop playing fair," Dustin smiled, doing a series of quick and complicated ninja symbols with his hands before slamming his foot onto the ground. The massive blast of earth that rippled towards the monster knocked it off balance, and the blue beams ripped through it.

Sparking and sizzling, it fell the ground.

"Alright! We rock!" Bridge chuckled, high-fiving them.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Time to say goodbye!" Sky declared, pulling out his Delta Blasters as he leapt into the air, spinning so he was facing the powerful Orangehead as he went by. While Conner and Hunter kept it distracted by speeding around or zapping it, the future Red Ranger pelted him with thick blasts of red laser fire.

Eventually, it's too much for the attack bot, and it overloaded, going out with a bang—literally—as it exploded. "Another monster taken care of," Sky stated, smiling proudly. He looked at his fellow Ranger and the ninja. "Thank you both."

"Anytime, dude," Conner nodded.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"The wormhole is closing," the Commander told Crimson and Yellow, a somber expression crossing his face. "I need to go after the Rangers and warn them."

"I'll go with you, sir!" Crimson affirmed.

"I'll go, too," Yellow nodded.

"No. I need you here in case the unthinkable happens," he shook his head.

"Sir…if you go back and we stay here, and Morgana wins…then being here won't have much point, because _here_ won't exist," Crimson pointed out. "And…no offence, sir, but it's undoubtedly dangerous back there, and you aren't exactly a Ranger anymore."

"Drew's right, Doggie," the cat-woman agreed.

"Hmm. Alright, then. We'll all go," Doggie nodded, giving in. Satisfied, Drew stepped back, smiling. Beside him, Yellow merely rolled her eyes.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Trent called, as he ran to catch up with the Dino Rangers, SPD Rangers and Ninjas. He'd been looking for Dr. O while they'd been out foot soldier hunting. "Any luck?"

"We ran into a couple Krybots and Grinders, but we took care of them," Z stated.

"Same goes for us," Bridge nodded.

"But it's weird," Sky added, staring at the display on his watch. "There's Troobian energy around here that's going off the charts…but we haven't found any—"

An explosion interrupted the Red SPD Ranger, as Zeltrax went flying by, groaning as he hit the ground. "Hey!"

Growling, Zeltrax fired a blast of electricity from his hand, just barely missing a Black Dino Ranger as Tommy leapt through the explosion, wielding his Brachio Staff.

"The Black Ranger!" Bridge exclaimed, awed, but the Dino Rangers and ninjas merely shrugged.

"He's not _that_ awesome," Kaylee snickered, teasing.

"Time to take it to the next level," they heard Dr. O say as he powered into Super Dino Mode and facing off against Zeltrax.

"Uh, guys…I think we've got some more company," Z commented, and the Rangers looked up to see a massive group of Krybots, Grinders and Tyrannodrones heading towards them.

"Okay. What are those?" Bridge frowned.

"Tyrannodrones," Conner sighed, adopting a fighting pose.

"Well, let's look on the bright side…it can't get any worse," Hunter pointed out, but soon realized how wrong he was. Three large monsters teleported in, one created from vines, one was just a mass of green, and the third, who was larger and stood before them, commanding, was clearly a machine-man.

"I _really_ don't like you," Conner frowned at the Crimson Ninja, who shrugged sheepishly.

"There's our enemy, comrades," the machine man growled, pointing at the Dino Rangers. "Take them out, for Morgana, and for the Machine Empire!"

"Man, why'd she have to send General Starwing?" Z whined, fingers twitching close to her morpher. As Zeltrax fired at Tommy, the Black Ranger leapt out of the way, rolling to rejoin the Rangers, being the only one morphed.

"Better late than never," he chuckled, before noticing the SPD uniforms. "Uh…and you are?"

"Oh! Let me! Let me!" Kaylee hopped up and down, her arm in the air. "This is Bridge, Z and Sky…SPD Rangers from the future! We're supposed to meet them someday and help them beat this weird Emperor dude, but right now, their enemy's come to the past to get rid of us to stop future Ranger teams! Also…Zeltrax teamed up with the future's Emo Barbie."

"Um…hurray?" Tommy said sarcastically, before standing up with them. "Well, in that case, Rangers, time to go to work!"

"Prepare to be defeated!" Zeltrax roared, standing with General Starwing, his two monsters, and the sea of foot soldiers.

"They always say that," Hunter chuckled, looking sideways at Dustin.

"But they never mean it," the Earth Sensei teased, laughing.

"Your insolence is unacceptable and will be terminated," General Starwing hissed, robotic fists clenching.

"Ready?" Sky asked his friends.

"Ready!" Bridge and Z nodded.

"SPD Emergency!" they cried together, their Red, Blue and Green spandex suits snapping into place, their rank numbers reflected in black (1, 2 and 3, respectively) appearing on the left side of their uniform. "Spade Patrol Delta!"

"Not bad, but check this out," Conner smirked, before sideways. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Kira, Kaylee, Ethan and Trent nodded as their Dino Bracelets flashed, turning into morphers.

"Dino Thunder, Power Up! HA!" as the Dino Ranger suits came into place, Dustin and Hunter frowned at one another, mock-pouting.

Simultaneous shouts of "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" and "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!" rang out in the clearing, with the boys performing their morphing sequence.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

"You _do_ remember you aren't Rangers anymore, right?" Kira asked, hiding a smile.

"It was worth a shot…," the boys grumbled, and Kaylee burst into laughter.

"Aww, they miss it," Kaylee patted her fellow ninjas on the shoulders.

"I grow tired of these Rangers," General Starwing snarled, ushering the Vine Monster and the Slime Monster forward. "Eliminate your targets, or Morgana will have your heads."

"Attack!" Zeltrax added, as he charged forward with the foot soldiers.

"Okay, give it all you've got!" Sky yelled, and the group split up, taking on several opponents in pairs, while Tommy took on Zeltrax alone.

It wasn't long before the Black Ranger was on his back, landing hard against a rock. Zeltrax towered over him, smirking. "Don't bother getting up," he taunted, before beams of crimson and yellow light smashed into him, slamming him into a tree.

"We thought you might need some help!" the Yellow SPD Ranger stated, and it was obvious Sky perked up at the sound of her voice.

"Syd!" he grinned, giving her a one-armed hug.

"It's nice to see you too, Drew, glad you could make it safely," the Crimson SPD Ranger laughed beside the couple, shaking his head. "Get a room, dudes."

Sky straightened up, returning to his strict form. "Let's get these guys!"

"Sure," the Crimson SPD Ranger chuckled, charging into the fray. Behind them, the Commander stepped in, helping Tommy up.

"Tommy Oliver, SPD Commander Doggie Cruger," he dipped his head in respect. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," the Black Ranger nodded, shaking his hand before together, they joined their teams, who had formed a circle.

At the front of the pack, General Starwing stepped forward, cackling, as a giant purple lightning bolt fell from the sky hitting the ground beside him. From the smoke came a woman with long black hair, purple and black body armor, and a glowing purple lightning bolt on her cheek.

"This is your end, Power Rangers," she spat. "You're outnumbered! Look at the size of the Machine army!"

"You have us outnumbered, yes," Cruger nodded. "But remember, it isn't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

"Does he know we're not all like him?" Kaylee whispered to Kira, who chuckled, shushing her best friend.

"No one gets inside our circle!" he declared, and as one, the others forming the circle (whether Dino Rangers, SPD Rangers or ninjas) nodded, repeating this with force.

"I don't need to breach your pathetic circle," Morgana snapped, pointing to the Green and Yellow Dino Rangers. "I just need them. Dead."

"What?!" Kira squeaked, side-glancing at Kaylee. "Us?"

"Why do the time-traveling Emo Barbies want my head on a plate?" Kaylee pouted, referring to Scorpina in this instance.

"At least you're not alone this time," Kira patted her on the shoulder.

"What does she mean she's after the girls?" Conner snapped, glaring at Sky through his helmet, fists clenched. "I thought you said they were after us to change the future of Ranger history."

"We did," he nodded stiffly. "We just didn't specify it was Kaylee and Kira in particular, because we can't. No future consequences, remember?"

"Screw future consequences!" he growled, stepping forward and beginning to break the circle they'd create. Swiftly, Kira held him back.

"Bite his head off later, hotshot. Right now we got uglier issues to deal with."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Morgana smiled sickly, before bursting into a loud rally cry. "Destroy them!"

Tyrannodrones, Krybots and Grinders rushed forward, along with the Vine Monster and the Slime Monster, while Zeltrax, Morgana and General Starwing hung back, watching. The army charged at the circle, but none broke through, allowing the Rangers to stay true to their word.

Then, they retaliated, breaking into groups to fight.

Drawing her Thundermax Saber, Kira tossed it to Hunter, grinning as she summoned her Ptera Grips to hand instead. "Figured you might be missing your ninja version."

"Yeah, totally," he chuckled, offering her a grateful smile. But the smile falls, replaced by shock. "Kira! Look out!"

But she turned too late, the Vine Monster barreling into her and knocking her to the ground. "You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"No. That hurt," she glared at the Vine Monster, who was cackling, swaying on the spot. "Bet you we can hit him harder."

"After you, my lady," he half-bowed, causing her to snort in laughter.

"You're so cheesy," she told him, twirling her Ptera Grips in her hands.

"It's totally sweeping off your feet, though," he winked, flicking his wrist out and sending a few crimson bolts through the air, striking the Vine Monster.

"Maybe," she shrugged playfully, speeding towards the stunned creature, lashing out. Anger flashed across its eyes, and vines shot out from beneath it, wrapping around her. Suddenly, she was completely encased and unable to breathe, the very oxygen it cleaned being squeezed out of her.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"I think it's cute," Kaylee commented, her loud _**ZWOP **_sounding out on the battlefield as she found herself behind the Slime Monster, roundhouse kicking it in the back.

"You're biased," Dustin told her, slamming his foot onto the ground and creating an earthly ripple that added to her maneuver and floored the grimy creature. It collapsed in a pile of goo. "You dated him."

"He kisses like a girl, I'm not _that_ biased," she giggled, stepping around the reforming monster. "Besides, it's simpler for her…since he's not a Ranger."

"The only reason you know simple is the key for her is because you spied on her and Conner, _after_ setting them up," he shook his head, as the monster roared, standing back up.

"Your point?" she grinned, pulling out her Spino Whip as Dustin twirled the Thundermax Saber she'd given him in one hand. Zwopping behind it again, she cracked the whip, causing a large gash to form in its squishy green shape. "Dustin! It's not doing any—"

The Slime Monster had spun, forming a solid arm with its malleable body, and slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her, and sending her sprawling. Working quickly, the Slime Monster slid forward and over her, trapping her in a large mass of green slime.

Eyes widening, she flailed inside the blob, but it only adjusted to keep her there. Suddenly, she seemed to realize she couldn't breathe in its slimy frame, and her hands went to her throat as she gasped for air.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

As Trent and Ethan took out their group nearby, Syd managed a series of back-flips, smashing through Krybot, Tyrannodrone and Grinder alike that landed her back beside the Crimson SPD Ranger.

"Hey, Andrew, how're you holding up?" she grinned, using his full name—something she knew he didn't like.

"I'd be doing better if you stopped calling me that," he snapped, though not unkindly, a smirk settling into the features hidden beneath his helmet.

"You've only been part of the team a month or so, kiddo, you're still going through initiation," she teased, cart-wheeling away from him and into a Bluehead.

"Kiddo?" he snickered, smashing a Grinder in the face with his elbow as he called after Syd. "I'm twenty-two! I'm only a year younger than you!"

"Yet you're still rhyming like you're twelve," she was precariously balanced on the Bluehead's shoulders, and snapped her heels together, locking together around it's neck. Twisting herself off and onto the ground, she heard the loud crack before the Krybot crumpled.

As she stood up straight, she gasped, realizing she'd been surrounded by some fierce-looking foot soldiers. "Poop."

"And you still curse like you're ten," he teased, his eyes gaining a faint glow. He raised his hands, palms facing the foot soldiers, and clapped them together. As one, the robotic Krybots and Grinders rose into the air and slammed into one another viciously, their machine parts littering the ground as they fell, broken.

Unfortunately for the metal manipulator, the five remaining Tyrannodrones were _not_ robots. "Umm…," but he trailed off—because Syd had it covered. One hand touched a fallen Grinder, and she quickly, both appendages gained the silvery sheen, having turned into metal. She smashed her way through the Tyrannodrones in no time.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

Surging forth from the explosion's smoke, Bridge kicked the Orangehead to the ground, grinning. The robotic general roared angrily and pushed himself up, only to be surrounded by several Green SPD Rangers.

"Mutant replication…this is ridiculous," he growled, slamming one mechanical arm into the ground. The resulting shockwave knocked most of the Z clones off their feet, causing them to vanish and retract back into their host.

Frowning, she drew her Deltamax Striker. "You're ridiculous," she spat, firing off a huge green blast that smacked him into a tree. It's enough to KO him, and Bridge chuckled, walking up to her.

"And you're immature," he patted her shoulder affectionately.

"That means almost nothing coming from you," she smiled back, tilting her head.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

As Conner and Sky took on General Starwing with the Tyranno Staff and Delta Blasters, respectively, Tommy and Cruger beat Zeltrax into retreat.

"I tire of you Rangers," the General rumbled, several Tyrannodrones, Grinders and Krybots surrounding him. "I believe I'll rid the earth of you myself."

"I don't think so," Sky scoffed, side-glancing at Conner. "Next level?"

"Totally. Shield of Triumph! Triassic Ranger!"

"SPD Battlizer! Cyber Mode!"

Extra armor added itself to Sky's uniform, while Conner's suit gained its golden accents and spikes, allowing him to hold the shield.

"Get them!" General Starwing roared.

Using the Shield of Triumph, Conner slashed and blocked several foot soldiers, scrapping several of the robotic ones in the process. Sky, however, used his own staff to battle the foot soldiers, scrapping a few Krybots and Grinders, and defeating a Tyrannodrone or two in the process.

"Must I do _everything_ myself?" General Starwing hissed, stepping forward, his eyes glowing red. His hands began to shift and transform into cannons, but the Red Rangers are quicker, going at him simultaneously and knocking him back.

"Battlizer, Sonic Mode!" Sky yelled, activating the next step.

"Battlizer Cannon!" Conner agreed, and their suits powered up once more, causing the General to rethink his plan.

Although it didn't matter what he chose, because he's too slow. Sky lashed out at him with a giant energy beam from his weapon, while Conner fired a double-barreled blast from his. "FIRE!" they both yelled, and the General fell, bested.

"Alright!" Sky high-fived Conner, chuckling.

"Yeah!"

But their joy was short-lived as Morgana stepped over the remains of her smoldering General, sighing with obvious irritation. "Wonderful. I'm going to have to download his program into _another_ model. AGAIN," she hissed, but once she looked up at the line of Rangers that was forming before her, that sick smile was back. "I see you apes have destroyed most of my machine army."

"What can we say, we've got talent?" Conner smirked, but it fell when he noticed the Slime and Vine Monsters slithering to her side, holding two Rangers captive. A Grinder and a Krybot dumped two defeated ninjas at his feet, and the apologetic and guilty looks they sent up to him were enough to say they'd tried their best to save the girls, but simply weren't able.

After all, they weren't Rangers anymore.

"I hear the wormhole's closing," Morgana sighed dramatically, before cackling. "I sure don't want to miss my chance to bring these two home with me. Then, they can witness the destruction their absence will cause. Without them, there is no future Ranger project. And without those idealistic plans…my master will conquer the world, eliminating all you pathetic humans."

But Conner wasn't listening to her speech. His eyes were locked with Kaylee's as she used what little energy she had left to motion to him, creating a quick and effective plan. He'd been around her in enough battles to form this silent battle planning, and he trusted her with the experience of being on another team before.

He kneeled down beside the injured Senseis, acting as if he was checking up on them while Morgana rant continued.

"Hey, Static Cling Lad, you conscious?" he whispered, tapping Hunter's elbow. The Thunder Sensei nodded slowly, looking up to glare. "Good. Now, you and Dustin listen carefully…"

"Goodbye, Rangers," Morgana smirked, turning away and opening a portal with the wave of her hand. Through it, they could see the inside of her ship. She took only a step towards it before the ground began to shake. "What the…?"

She turned in time to see Dustin's outstretched hand digging into the dirt, and the ripple that opened up in a straight line, headed for her. Taken by surprise, she lost her balance and fell, catching the edge of the large gaping hole almost too late.

While their boss was temporarily unavailable, Hunter channeled whatever energy he had left into two powerful and massive bolts of Crimson lightning—both of which struck their monstrous green targets dead in the face, stunning them.

"Alright, now's our chance!" Conner yelled, standing up with the other Rangers. "Blast those two monsters outta here!"

Unable to form the Z-Rex Blaster with two missing components as the SPD Rangers formed the Canine Cannon, the Dino Rangers channeled all their power into one final blast, one hit that meant saving their friends.

"Ready!" the Rangers called, weapons glowing fiercely of their respective colors.

"Fire!" Sky and Conner yelled together, and massive energy blasts erupted from the line of Rangers. They struck the Slime Monster and Vine Monster dead in the chest, and the overload of energy was too much for the creatures to handle.

The resulting explosions sent vegetation and slime everywhere, but it didn't bother the Rangers, since Kira and Kaylee were a little worse for wear, but at least they were safe, and not dead or being teleported to the future.

Dustin quickly pushed himself up and joined Kaylee's side, helping her as she spit up green slime, and both Hunter and Conner made it to Kira together, which was a little awkward, but their worry for her clouded that thought. Rubbing her throat, she let them help her up.

"I…," she trailed off, frowning when she heard her raspy voice. "I don't…think tomorrow's set is…possible, Kayl."

"Totally," the Green Ranger whined, wiping slime from her hair. "There's no way this green stuff'll come out with just one wash!"

"Would you like it red, instead?" a sinister voice hissed, and the Rangers looked up to see Morgana standing there, a little muddy, and completely pissed off.

"She's threatening to bleed me!" Kaylee yelled, pointing childishly at the Emo Barbie.

"It appears your time here is up, Morgana," Commander Cruger stated, stepping forward. "We're keeping history on track, and the window to home is closing."

They knew by her angry snarl that she saw truth in his words, and she stepped back, fingers twitching. "I've lost this battle, but in the name of the Machine Empire, I will crush NewTech City and win this war."

Her eyes narrowed at Kaylee and Kira, a sneer forming on her lips. "Your world will fall one day, Rangers. And nothing you can do will stop the losses you'll suffer; I'll make sure of it."

In a crack of purple lightning she was gone, beaming back up to her ship and zooming off, headed to find the wormhole and leaving the Rangers in an ominous silence.

"Not a future I intend to fulfill," Kira stated, Kaylee nodding beside her.

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

"Well, guys, it's time to say goodbye," Sky stated, his team standing beside the ship Cruger, Syd and Drew had arrived in. The others faced them, back in their civvies.

"So soon?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, what's the rush? I mean, you're time travelers, right?" Kira shrugged.

"You can still get back at the same time no matter how long you stay," Kaylee added.

"You heard Doggie, the wormhole's closing," Z sighed. "I don't want to, but we gotta go."

"I agree. I mean, I wish I could stay, tell you stories of us hanging out in the future," Bridge smiled. "Plus, I was just born last week, and I could meet myself and become my own best friend…wait. What if I met myself and I didn't like me?"

"I wanted to try that already," Kaylee giggled. "When I zwoomed to the past…but he wouldn't let me." She pointed at Tommy.

"Future consequences," both he and Doggie stated simultaneously, causing their Rangers to blink at them, wide-eyed.

"I see twenty-something years changes nothing in mentors," Drew chuckled, before stepping back. "Well…see you guys around, maybe."

"Definitely," Hunter nodded. "Seriously something I won't be forgetting any time soon."

"Space Patrol Delta, Earth Division…," Dustin mused. "Shouldn't be too hard to track down, right?"

"Unfortunately, it is when you can't remember it," Doggie sighed, stepping forward.

"You're going to erase our memories, aren't you?" Tommy asked, catching on faster than the teenagers.

"We have to," Syd smiled sweetly, her cheeks turning a little pink. "Knowledge of the future would only change what's meant to be. We'd love to know you guys in the future…really. I mean, you girls are famous and I totally have every single CD."

"So he _did_ dream us up as Rockstars?" Kaylee gasped playfully, looking to Ethan alongside her best friend. "Awesome!"

"For better or worse, it has to be like this," Doggie declared, pulling a device from his pocket. "Rangers, we thank you for your help."

"Hope you guys stay safe!" Bridge waved, Z leaning against his arm, smiling. The other SPD Rangers nodded in agreement, and the Dino Rangers, Dustin and Hunter said their goodbyes.

"Say cheese," the Commander said, holding up the mind-wipe device. The blue flash covered the teens and mentor, and they blinked repeatedly, confused as their eyes regained focus. "School's over. Go home."

Perplexed, the group took one final look at the SPD Rangers they were supposed to know, and turned away, talking in low voices.

"Did that dog just talk?" Kaylee whispered, amazed.

"Uh, I think so," Dustin nodded, causing her to squeal.

"That's almost as cool as Farting Monkey!" she exclaimed, glancing at Kira at the mention of her gift, but the Yellow Ranger was slightly behind them, deep in conversation with Hunter.

"What do you say next time I drop by, it's just the two of us, huh?"

"Deal," she smiled brightly, causing a nearby Red Ranger to sigh.

The SPD Rangers watched them leave, sad.

"It really doesn't seem fair that they're not gonna be able to remember any of this," Z commented as they headed for the shuttle.

"They don't remember last time either," Bridge sighed. "And Kaylee and I had so much fun…remember Australia?"

"Yeah…," the others rolled their eyes as they boarded the ship, but Drew frowned, following.

"Uh, I don't! I wasn't part of the team then!" he called, chasing after them. "Hey! What about Australia? Guys? GUYS!"

* * *

--Wormhole—

* * *

Alone at her throne, Morgana angrily electrocuted two Grinders and a Krybot with purple energy.

A recently reconstructed and fully operational model of General Starwing spoke up. "Uh, Mistress…those were our sentries for the Delta—"

"Oh, shut up, you bag of bolts," she snapped, before she gasped when her computer turned on, a red voice pattern zigzagging across the black screen.

"_You didn't kill the Rangers, did you, Morgana?"_

"No…I failed you, master. The SPD Rangers went through the wormhole and found the Rangers before I could. I underestimated them and Hanson and Ford," she bowed to the screen, knowing he could see her. "It will not happen again."

"_It won't. Or else you'll find yourself in the scrap pile and my new toy will take your place. Series Seven is doing quite well in training."_

"That isn't necessary!" Morgana pleaded. "I can do this. Trust me, in time, NewTech will belong to the Machine Empire, master…and only one city will remain."

**_

* * *

Author's Note: And here we have another awesome chapter, one I very much enjoyed warping to fit the Kaylee Series. Although...hmm...it seems I did a little more than warp, didn't I? I hinted and foreshadowed and (gasp) did I even include SPOILERS? To future Kaylee Series projects by Lily Hanson and I? OMG I think I did!_**

**_Okay, enough with the sarcastic teasing. If you guys pick up on hints, foreshadowing and spoilers, you're really all great. I tried to keep it to a minimum, because we don't want to spoil the plots we've planned out, but I gave you all enough to think about huh? We'll be glad to hear theories and speculations, but we're not giving anything away, even if we love you guys and your reviews! :P  
_**


	32. Pick A Card, Any Card

**PLEASE READ, IMPORTANT AS ZWOP.**

Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking: No effin' way. Right? _Faith_ updated _Dino Thunder_? After one year, nine months and ten days? Yes, I really did count.

Well, if you're here, that means that after doing a double take at seeing this, or maybe three, or four, or a whole load, you decided to give me a shot again. On a blind whim. I thank you, I really do.

And I tell you, your time was not wasted, long-lost friends and fans. Because I'm done. No lie. I'm done Dino Thunder. I already have the final few chapters written that follow this one, and I'm not just saying that on a whim, I'm actually, one hundred percent done. _Lily_ can vouch for me.

So, here begins the epic conclusion to the long-lost **Dino Thunder, A Shade of Green**. Those finding themselves here again, you mean the world to me, and I ask of you, one last time, to leave me your thoughts on the last few chapters of this series…

Just when you thought the Kaylee Series was finished. Hahaha-I mean, ahem, much love.

**

* * *

Pick A Card, Any Card**

A giggle escaped the lips of one dirty blonde that sunny afternoon at Reefside High as she ducked into the shade of the East Wing building, a hand on her waist lightly pushing her along. The small alcove created by the awkwardly-shaped building didn't offer much space to her and the tall dirty blonde following her, but they didn't mind. It offered them privacy. Although uncharacteristic of the girl in question, she'd found herself doing quite a bit more out-of-the-ordinary where one Hunter Bradley was concerned.

Her hazel irises met his blue ones, looking up. "I wonder," she smiled, "are our dates ever going to be normal?"

"Honestly?" he grinned back, his arms looping around her petite waist, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her yellow shirt for warmth. "I kind of prefer them this way." Her breath caught as he leaned down, closing the gap between them, kissing her softly. "Don't you?"

"I'm starting to be convinced," Kira Ford whispered before his lips met hers again.

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Oh, Enchantment Spell, now your Trolls are under my command," Ethan James cheered, placing a card onto the pile before him, looking up at his opponent with a smirk. But the brown-haired boy before him isn't the least bit worried.

"Counter-Spell, bro," Devin Del Valle revealed, putting down his own card. "Sorry. Now they're released and can be set loose on your castle."

Ethan winched, but it quickly washed into another smirk as he drew his next card, placing it before him. "Magic Arrow card. Now my archers can hit five of your warriors with one shot!"

"Not if my warriors are wearing _Injected Armor_," Devin stated, dropping his voice a pitch to make it sound epic as he flashed the card at Ethan. "Thank you very much."

"This is so completely lame," a snide voice remarked, and they turned to see Cassidy Cornell sitting on a nearby bench with notes that have clearly been ignored. Her nose wrinkled. "I mean, have you heard yourselves?"

"I hate to agree with her, really, but for once I do," Kaylee Hanson giggled, and the boys glanced over to her bench, where she sat, calmly writing music. "I'm pretty sure that game is for kids, too."

"Dragon Wars is nothing of the sort!" Ethan cried defensively, making Cassidy snort.

"Sure, that's why my six-year-old brother and his little friends are so into it."

"Maybe they just have good taste," Ethan offered.

"Whatever, you know Randall will freak if she catches you," Kaylee shrugged, returning to her music. "It's against school rules to play cards. Or much of anything, really. That's how Kira and I got detention, once upon a wonderful time."

Ethan rolled his eyes at the girl, and Devin groaned. "Dude, can we get back to the game? I believe I was about to charge your castle." Ethan nodded, reaching to draw his next card. Suddenly, his eyes widen. "What?"

"No way… this card…"

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay to be spending the weekend here?" Kira asked, breathless, her cheeks red as Hunter twirled a strand of her hair between his fingers.

"Of course. Your mom said yes, didn't she?" he grinned, trailing a few kisses up her neck to her lips. She pulled away, shaking her head, laughing softly.

"I mean, what about your students?"

"Leanne's seeing to them. She gave me the weekend off to do just this, I told you," he kissed her cheek, which reddened more. His did too, once he took in his words. "Well, not _specifically_ make out with my girlfriend, but, y'know, spend time with her." His thumb rubbed her jawline as he leaned in again.

"Unfortunately, Miss Ford won't be able to spend some of it with you," a voice remarked, and Kira pulled away quickly, cheeks scarlet, turning to see Principle Randall standing there, arms crossed, glaring at them over the top of her glasses.

"Um, Principle Randall. I was just-"

"Getting detention," she smiled cruelly. "Today, last period."

"What! That's my spare!" Kira exclaimed. "What for?"

"Public displays of affection are against the rules, Miss Ford, you know that."

"What _isn't_ against the rules with you, Principle Randall?" she bit back, sarcastically sweet as her hands clenched into fists.

Randall continued, undeterred. "And since you broke that rule, you get detention." She heard a loud cheering from nearby, and turned to see Ethan throwing his arms into the air, a wide smile breaking out across his lips, something in his hand. "Speaking of breaking rules…" She walked off, looking determined.

"I'm sorry," Hunter whispered, squeezing Kira's hand, but she waved it off with her free one, her eyes narrowed at the retreating Principle's head.

"It's Randall. She makes it a hobby to spend her lunch break getting kids in trouble. I'm surprised we've lasted as long as we have without her finding us before today," she laughed, pulling him forward. "Now come on, let's try and see if Ethan can avoid the same."

"Hmm, sometimes, you know, my job is just too easy," Principle Randall stated, interrupting Ethan's cheers of victory and Devin's defeated glowering. Ethan froze, turning slowly, the card in his hand held tight. Kira caught a glance of a red dragon on it.

"Principle Randall, you are looking especially lovely today!" Ethan grinned, causing his friends to chuckle. A glare slid onto the Principle's features.

"Mister James, if your friend Mister McKnight can't pull that off, what makes you think you can, hmm?"

"Okay, well, perhaps I can appeal to your sense of compassion?"

"If I had one, maybe. But I don't, so give me the cards. _Now_."

"But he just got the Ruby Dragon card!" Devin whined, causing Ethan to nod emphatically, motioning to the card in his hand.

"Really? Oh, well, you keep them, then!" Principle Randall gasped, and Kira and Hunter cringed, fearing she was laying it on a bit thick. Ethan and Devin exchanged grins, pumping their fists together and cheering, while behind them, Kaylee and Cassidy wore grim looks. They knew it was coming, too. Randall's voice was flat as she spoke again. "No. Hand them over. Immediately."

Reluctantly, the two handed her the cards as the bell rang and she told them to get to class before walking away. Defeated, the boys grabbed their bags and sluggishly started back towards the school, Cassidy grabbing her things and beginning to lecture them. Kaylee, however, hung back, waiting for her best friend.

"I'll pick you up afterwards?" Hunter offered, looking down at his girlfriend, who looked a little ticked being reminded of her detention. But she quickly perked up as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"See you later," she nodded, and he waved at Kaylee before walking off.

"I think I liked it better when I was the only one with a boyfriend who came to visit," Kaylee fake-gagged as Kira turned, looping her arm with her best friend's and heading towards the school with a grin.

"Shut up. Now you know how I felt, dork."

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Okay, we've got Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Brontosaurs," Dr. Tommy Oliver enumerated, turning to face his class. "What are some other Herbivores from that era?" His eyes zeroed in on a blue-clad student at a table filled with other color-wearing teens, and he grinned. "Ethan, you should know this."

But Ethan didn't answer, instead staring off into space, distracted-and moping. The other Rangers looked at him, frowning. "Ethan," Dr. O called. "You alright?" When he still received no answer, he sighed, his gaze sliding to the others. "Can someone tell me what the problem is?"

Kaylee raised her hand. "It's Principle Randall, sir. She took Devin and Ethan's Dragon War cards."

"Dragon War?" Dr. O frowned. "Isn't that a kid's game?"

"Come on, it's a game of strategy for all ages!" Ethan exclaimed, paying attention all of a sudden. The class broke into laughter, causing the teen to glower, crossing his arms. Beside him, Kira rolls her eyes, patting him on the shoulder.

"Tell you what, Ethe; I'll get them back for you, alright? I have detention this afternoon so while I'm in Randall's office, I'll take a look around."

"You have _detention_?" Conner snickered from her other side. "What for?"

Instead of answering, Kira's cheeks reddened and Kaylee giggled. "Your face is as red as it was when Randall showed up at lunch with you and Hunter following… Ohhh," the blonde gasped, covering the giggle that followed with her hand. Kira's blush increased as the class erupted into laughter again, this time mixed with cat-calls and whistling. Beside her, Conner bristled, and the hand resting on his notebook curled into a fist. Kira decided it was a good time to look anywhere but at him, as one of the students in the class whistled her name.

Visibly upset, Conner turned to the class, glaring. "Shut up!" he called, effectively silencing them. Sometimes the status quo really played in favour of the Rangers.

"Thank you, Conner," Dr. O stated, though he knows Conner's action had nothing to do with resuming the lesson. "Now, Ethan, if Kira says she's going to take a look for that card in Principle Randall's office, which I under no circumstances will admit to hearing if asked, will you concentrate?"

"Sure will, Dr. O!" Ethan beamed, but beside him, Kira had fallen quiet, offering her best friend a weak glare across from her.

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"_Dinosaurs are different from other archosaurian reptiles such as crocodiles because_," Kaylee read the question on her answer sheet, chewing on the end of her pen. "_A, they were bigger. B, they had bony vertebrae. C, they were all meat-eaters. D, they had a hole in their hip socket or E, they had larger brains._" She tapped her pen against her chin in thought, 'hmm'-ing. "F, they, specifically the Spinosaur, were more awesome."

Across from her, Hunter looked up from reading over applications for new students to the Thunder Academy, frowning. She scribbled down her answer, moving onto the next question. "_The subclass Diapsida is composed of the dinosaurs and their archosaurian relatives, and what other group?_ Hmm… The Spinosaurs."

Hunter's frown deepened as he watched Kaylee scribbled down her answer. "Kaylee…is that your science homework?" he asked, and she nodded emphatically, grinning. He reached over, snatching the paper away as Kaylee tapped her pen against her chin again. "_What was the biggest dinosaur? Spinosaurus. What was the first ever dinosaur found? Spinosaurus._ Kaylee, did you answer all of these questions with-" he leaned closer so the other students in the cafeteria for their spare didn't hear. "With your own dinosaur?"

"Not all of them. Look at question twelve."

Hunter complied. "_Were there any flying dinosaurs? Kira's_... Really?" He sighed in the face of her big grin, shaking his head. "Kayl, please tell me you're not handing these into Dr. O as your actual assignment."

"My actual assignment is right here," she giggled, lifting up another paper that had already been filled out, and from the looks of it, with different and correct answers. "But I'm still handing that in." She grabbed the page from Hunter, scribbling Spinosaurus into the last answer slot. "I do this every time. Give Dr. O the joke answer sheet, wait until he reads it through and comes to talk to me about it, and then I hand him the right over. It's pretty fun, actually, because he falls for it every time. I think he enjoys it, since I change the answer up every assignment." She smiled, proud of herself, and Hunter shook his head, chuckling at his former girlfriend.

"You're a dork."

"Thank you," she said before suddenly, her wrist began to beep, flashing green. The sound disturbed the other students in the cafeteria, who all converged together, turning to glare at her. Sheepishly she covered her wrist, grinning at the other students as Hunter attempted to withhold his laughter. "_Kaylee, it's me," _Kira's voice exited the tiny device, and Kaylee tried to muffle it with her hand, frantically trying to find a button to turn it down. "_Where are you right now_?"

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

It had been humiliating, sitting there, listening to the whole class laugh, cat-calling and whistling. At her. For getting caught by the Principle making out with her boyfriend on school grounds. _Her_. Something like that would've never happened to the old Kira Ford. The pre-Ranger Kira Ford. But as she thought back to earlier that day, how giddy she'd been with Hunter, how much she enjoyed any time she got to spend with him, no matter how brief-she remembered pre-Ranger Kira Ford never would've enjoyed the opportunity of meeting Hunter Bradley.

She was so lost in her thoughts, grinning, that by the time she made it to Principle Randall's office, she walked right in, not even thinking of knocking. "Miss Randall, I'm here for…"

But standing at the other end of the office was only Principle Randall for a fraction of a second, as the image of the suit and short hair and glasses dissolved, giving way to that of a leather-clad psychopath. "Elsa…" Kira's eyes widened. She came to her senses as the woman turned, smiling wickedly, and narrowed her eyes at the until-seconds-ago-Principle. "I knew there had to be a good reason a Principle could be so evil."

"I was wondering how long I could continue to pull this off." In her hand, she twirled the Ruby Dragon card Kira had seen in Ethan's hand at lunch.

"I give you credit," Kira glared, adopting a defensive fighting pose. "We should've seen it."

"Ignorant children are incapable of seeing what's right in front of them. Pathetic really, the number of times I could've easily destroyed you and the other Rangers with a flick of my wrist."

"Not that I don't enjoy living and all, but why didn't you?"

"Slow torture is really the way to go." She pocketed the card, and Kira took the momentary distraction to rush forward, fist flying out. But Elsa was faster, ducking at the last second and slipping past the girl, kicking her in the back. Kira met the bookcase head-on, cursing.

Her fighting instincts kicked in and she twirled around, catching Elsa a little off-guard, her roundhouse kick landing square in the woman's chest and knocking her into her own desk. She hissed, tackling the rocker into the bookcase, her hands reaching for her throat. Clamping down, she grinned as Kira struggled to push her hands away. "I wonder how long it will take for anyone to find you here once I squeeze the life out of you."

"I'm sure… someone's about… to come running… when they hear this," Kira breathed, taking a difficult breath against Elsa's choke hold and unleashing a powerful Ptera Scream that sent the Emo Barbie flying, crashing into her office door and breaking it clean off one of its hinges, shattering the glass.

"Tell me, has your precious boyfriend ever done some shock therapy with you, you little banshee?" Elsa snickered from the floor, bringing up a hand and releasing a streak of purple electricity that struck Kira hard, crippling her. She fell to her knees, gasping as the lightning coursed through her body and her face met the rough office carpet. She heard Elsa cackle as she stood, then watched through twitching electricity as she took on the form of Principle Randall again, waving.

Once the small wave of static pain passed, Kira began to move, bringing up her morpher. "Kaylee, it's me. Where are you right now?"

"_Best friend, reporting for duty. In the cafeteria, entertaining your boyfriend. He's early."_

"Get the guys. I just found out something about Principle Randall you're not gonna believe."

"_Let me guess, she's evil_!" Kaylee giggled over the com-link as Kira grabbed the edge of Randall's desk, dragging herself to her feet.

"Your sarcasm would be funny if it wasn't true," Kira stated, exiting the office and breaking into a run down the empty hall. "She's Elsa."

"_You're right; she's on that level of evil, isn't she?"_

"No, I mean she's literally _Elsa_!" She pushed through the school's side doors, and quickly scanned the empty grounds. Everyone was still in class, or in the case of her best friend, in the cafeteria on spare. She spotted the Principle making it across the soccer field, walking swiftly, and took off, taking the stairs two at a time. "I walked into her office for my detention and she freaking transformed in front of me!"

"_Holy farting monkeys! We'll find the others!_"

She didn't thank the Green Ranger, opting instead to break into a run, grass folding under her feet. "You're not going anywhere, Elsa!" she yelled, lacing bits of her Ptera Scream into her voice. She watched as the sound waves hit her enemy, knocking her over. She rolled, jumping to her feet and turning to glare at the Yellow Ranger. She had good reflexes for a Principle; Kira had to give her that.

"You're making a mistake, Yellow Ranger," she hissed, clenching her fists.

"I'm doing my job. Something you never did, clearly, since I'm pretty sure a Principle's supposed to protect their students or something, not try and electrocute them."

"Perhaps I should've tried harder then," Elsa stepped towards her, her cruel smile returning. "At the electrocution that is."

"And I thought you were a horrible Principle before."

Roaring, Randall dashed towards her, surprisingly fast for a woman in a pencil skirt and high heels. Kira ducked as the woman reached her and kicked out, determined to avoid being impaled by said heels. She swung her arm out, hitting the back of Randall's knees and sending her onto them. Kira rolled away, pushing herself to her feet at the same time as her Principle. Once there, she had to quickly dash to her left to avoid a streak of purple lightning that singed her shoulder, causing her to cry out.

Randall took her momentary pain to run at her, aiming her first for Kira's face. But the girl blocked, and they exchanged a series of blows, each one blocking the other. Frustrated, Randall flipped over the short teenager, sending her stumbling as she kicked her in the back. Kira swore as she regained control, rubbing the spot on her back where the Principle's heel had hit. Well, so much for avoiding the nasty things. But she didn't have much time to dwell on it as Randall cried out, running at her again.

Thinking quickly, she backed up; blocking anything Randall threw her way, trying to calculate in her head how close the bench she'd spotted behind her had been. Once she estimated she was relatively close, she ducked as a heel came flying at her again, rolling out of the way and grinning when she heard Randall hit the bench and yell.

She stood, turning to see the Principle's foot stuck in the wood of the bench, the heel of her shoe wedged by the force of her kick. Pleased with herself, Kira leapt into the air, swinging her sneaker into Randall's back, causing her to pitch forward, taking the whole bench with her. A loud crack sent a shiver down Kira's spine, and she secretly hoped she'd broken her enemy's ankle. Or leg. Or anything, really.

But Randall was standing again, glaring at her, looking perfectly fine except for a smudge of dirt on her black pencil skirt. "Too much to ask for, I guess," Kira shrugged, seeing it was the bench that had cracked during the tumble.

Just then, the bell rang out on the grounds of Reefside High, signalling the end of the school day, and the doors swung open a little ways away, students beginning to pile out. Amongst them were Conner, Ethan, Trent and Doctor Oliver, all looking just as shocked as the other students, staring down the steps at Kira and Principle Randall. Looking at the broken and upside down bench, as well as the dishevelled look of both women and their current on-edge fighting stances, it was easy to assume what had gone on. Ripples broke through the crowd about Kira being a delinquent, if they'd heard she'd gotten detention earlier that day, and oh my god, was she actually _fighting_ the _Principle_?

"What is she _doing_?" Conner exclaimed, worried. "She's going to get worse than detention now! She's going to get freaking expelled!"

"The more important question is _why_ she's fighting Principle Randall, Conner," Dr. O stated.

"You guys told me she had detention for something with Hunter and she was going to get your card back? I'd say that's going a little overboard."

"Maybe its Hunter's fault," Conner shrugged, Trent's mention of Kira's detention souring his mood. "Maybe he's a bad influence."

"I resent that accusation," a voice stated, and the boys turned to see Hunter running up with Kaylee, who looked frantic.

"We've been looking everywhere for you guys! I couldn't remember what class you had! Kira told me that Elsa-"

"Elsa?" Conner frowned. "But Randall is with-"

"Elsa!" Kaylee exclaimed, waving her arms emphatically.

A yell broke out across the grounds, and the students gasped as Randall rushed forward, looking murderous. Kira's friends worried as she stood her ground, but the woman never attacked her. Instead, a few feet before her target, she leapt into the air, flipping over Kira, transforming as she did. Kira whirled around quickly, alert, to see Elsa land in front of her. The multitude of students that had piled out of the school and stopped to watch disperse, frightened and screaming. Some, however, stayed, watching with intrigue, alongside the group of Rangers.

"Aren't you worried that I know who you really are, in front of all those students?"

"Given that they all just discovered our Principle is an evil hag, I doubt your word would be given much credit," Kira smirked, but she felt far less confident then she sounded.

"Former Principle," Elsa seethed. "No thanks to you."

"Excuse me if I don't feel guilty."

"You'll pay for blowing my cover, _Kira_," Elsa spat out the Yellow Ranger's name with disgust. "More than what I have in store for you wretched brats with that card."

"Bring it," Kira dared, watching as her enemy raised her hand, calling forth an invisiportal and disappearing through it. Finally, Kira relaxed, letting her shoulders sag, and fell to her knees. She'd been keeping up her guard in front of that psycho, ignoring the way her body was aching from electrocution, choking and taking hits in civilian form, using all her strength to keep fighting.

As the school grounds cleared, her friends jogged over to her, and she felt Hunter's gentle touch as he embraced her, helping her to her feet. "You alright, Kir?"

"I am now," she said, finding her voice was a little raspy and that her throat stung.

"You sound like a frog," her best friend stated, pulling her out of Hunter's grip and into a tight hug.

"Side effect of almost being choked to death by our Principle," Kira chuckled darkly.

"Former," Dr. O reminded her, grinning. "I'll be headed to the school board after this to tell them what happened."

"I just can't believe we never noticed," Conner stated. "I mean, they looked exactly the same, except one had glasses."

"Hey, Clark Kent and Superman look the same but no one ever puts that together," Ethan pointed out, and the Red Ranger shrugged. "What I can't believe is that she got the Ruby Dragon card. I've been looking for that card since I was a kid!" He held up a hand as Kira opened her mouth to speak. "And before you say it, it's not your fault. It's not like you knew you'd run into a crazy ex-Principle henchwoman looking for it."

"Look, maybe I can do something about it," Trent spoke up, and they all seemed to remember he'd been standing there, contemplative. Ethan frowned.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe I can think of something. Just leave it to me," Trent grinned, running off and leaving the others to frown.

"What was that about?"

"He's weird," Kaylee shrugged, finally releasing her hold on a squirming Kira. "So, what now?"

"I'll head to the school board now to let them know what happened," Dr. O said, glancing towards his jeep, visible in the nearby parking lot. "You guys relax; you have a bit of down time before our training session. Which reminds me… Hunter?"

"Hmm?" the former Ranger looked up from his girlfriend to the teacher.

"Are you headed back to the Academy anytime soon? Because if you're free, I'd be delighted to have you at the training session. It would be nice to add another martial artist to the fray."

"I'd love to," Hunter grinned, having previously figured he'd be stuck at the Ford residence with Kira's mom during the hour or so she'd be out. Something he'd be happy to avoid. "I've got the weekend off."

"Excellent," Dr. O exclaimed, but judging by Conner's expression, he believed it to be anything _but_.

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Now, my little Ruby Dragon, with the flick of a switch, you're going to make a wonderful new creature that will destroy those awful Power Rangers," Elsa smirked, placing the card she'd gotten from the Blue Ranger into the machine before her.

"A little more free time on your hands now, Elsa? I mean, now that your secret's out," a voice mused, and she whirled around to see Trent walk in, grin spreading from ear to ear.

"No thanks to the Yellow Ranger," she hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Is it so wrong for a kid to come visit his father at work every once in a while?"

"Is that supposed to be amusing?"

"Actually, I'm here for a reason. I want the card back."

"You think I'm just going to hand it over to you? Because I hope you don't intend to fight me like that. You saw how well that went for the Yellow Ranger."

"And you think my father's going to be pleased when he finds out you blew it at the school?"

"No happier than your Ranger pals will be when they find out you've been keeping daddy's secret identity from them," Elsa cackled, watching as he fell silent. "What do they call this again? Oh, yes. Cat got your tongue?"

"Give me that card back, Elsa."

"Come and get it," she grinned madly, bringing up her hands, ready to fight.

"Fine," he glared, clenching his fists and running at her.

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Something's off with him, that's all I'm saying," Conner shrugged.

"Not like Trent to miss a meeting," Kaylee nodded, rocking back and forth from her toes and heels, clearly bored and itching to get on with it.

"Yeah, and my mom's expecting us for dinner." Kira motioned to herself, Hunter and Kaylee. "And she gets pretty nasty when you're late."

"Never upset Mrs. Ford," Kaylee nodded frantically. "It's one of my rules."

"Not just that. He's been acting kind of weird lately too," Conner chimed in, continuing on. "Like there's something he's not telling us."

"I'm sure he just got caught up at Cyberspace," Dr. O stated.

"Besides, dude, you have to admit, Trent isn't exactly the most open about what's going on with him," Ethan added.

"I don't know, man. Hey, Hunter, maybe you could use those ninja streak powers of yours or whatever to tail him, see what's up?"

"Conner!"

"What? It's a valid idea," Conner grumbled, rubbing the spot on his arm where Kira had whacked him. Beside him, Kaylee giggled.

"You're really hot and cold with Bradley, huh?"

"Shut up, Kaylee."

"We have to trust him," Kira glared. "We're a team, and that isn't something that works without trust, you know that."

"I'm with her on this one," Hunter stated. "I of all people know how it feels not to be trusted by my team, and let me tell you, it's not fun. Give the guy a break."

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

Trent slammed into the machine, having the knocked wind out of him. Beneath it, it springs to life, lighting up as smoke spilled out, and his skin prickled. To his right, Elsa cackled, watching in awe as the huge container attached to the machine slid open, allowing the Ruby Dragon card, in the flesh, to step out.

"Oh, no…"

"What are you orders?" it rumbled, staring at Elsa, who turns her malicious gaze on Trent.

"Get him! He's your enemy!"

Trent barely had time to register her words before the dragon fired up red lasers on its body and released a blast that sent him sprawling to the ground, half-conscious. Elsa grinned. "Well done. You take direction, that's a good sign. And now for your next trick…"

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"That's it," Conner groaned, looking at his watch. "Thirty minutes. You guys can't tell me something's not up."

But before the other Rangers could answer, a deep growling reached their ears, seemingly coming from all around. A bright flash of red drew their attention to a nearby tree, where they found themselves staring at Ethan's card, _alive_. "My Ruby Dragon card!"

"Elsa didn't waste any time," Conner stated.

"And if Trent went after the card…," Kira's eyes widened and Kaylee gulped.

"Not good."

"We'll find Trent later. Right now we have more pressing things to deal with," Dr. O brought them back to the problem at hand, fingering his morpher.

"Right," Conner nodded, before shooting Hunter a look. The former Thunder Ranger squeezed Kira's hand, taking a step back, aware this probably wasn't a fight he was capable of getting involved in, despite his training. "Ready?"

"Ready," the Rangers nodded, bringing up their morphers alongside their leader.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!" they yelled, coloured spandex melding to their bodies. "SUPER DINO MODE!" their costumes changed, drawing power from the Dino Gems. They rushed towards the monster, weapons at the ready, but it cut through each of them with sharp claws, sparks flying.

They tried again and again, but every time, the Ruby Dragon cut them down, roaring. Finally, they were no longer able to maintain Super Dino Mode and take that many hits, and reverted to regular form, falling back and regrouping. "This guy is tough," Conner stated.

"Duh, he's the Ruby Dragon!" Ethan exclaimed, and the Red Ranger merely turned to look at him in order for him to shut up. But a second later, he became vocal again, this time yelling as they're all blasted to the ground by the Dragon, who cackled madly.

"The Ruby Dragon always wins!" It's glee faded moments later when it let out a fearsome roar, white lightning hitting it in the back. Turning, it spotted the White Ranger pulling up on his ATV.

"We'll see about that." He dismounted, grabbing his Drago Sword from the ATV and stepping towards the Dragon, blocking it off from the others. "I'll handle this freak myself. _If _he's up for the challenge."

"Trent, that's crazy!"

"Ethan's right," Dr. O nodded. "He's too strong to take on by yourself."

"I know how to play his game."

"Speaking of games, why don't you tell your friends the truth," the Dragon grinned, showing off rows of sharp white teeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Trent growled. "Now let's do this."

They rushed together, sword and claw clashing, sparks flying all over. The others watched as the two duelled. As Trent obviously lost the gusto he'd had minutes before when he'd arrived. As the Dragon gained the upper hand when the White Ranger stepped the wrong way, and struck out with its claws, finding rib and muscle and Trent went flying, landing at the feet of the others.

"Are you okay?" Conner questioned, standing defensively before his teammate. No one hurt his team and got away with it, no matter their problems outside of battle. He aimed his blaster at the Ruby Dragon. "I got him."

"Wait," Trent rasped. "Let me take him."

"What's that matter with you?" Conner sounded exasperated, harsher than he meant to be, but couldn't bring himself to care. "And what is he talking about?"

But before Trent could answer, an invisiportal opened, dropping Elsa and a band of Tyrannodrones out of the sky. Sensing his ability to assist, Hunter stepped forward, standing by his girlfriend's side. Before Conner could tell him off about being a civilian, he motioned to the Tyrannodrones, grinning. "This a ninja can make do with, bud. Done it before, remember?"

"Fine," Conner stated unhappily, while Kaylee giggled.

"Hot and cold, seriously."

"I heard you've been looking for me," Elsa grinned, looking at Trent. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, how about go away forever?" the White Ranger seethed, gripping his sword and running at her. The Tyrannodrones took their master's duel as a cue and rushed at the Rangers Yellow, Green and Blue, as well as Hunter, growling. Conner and Dr. O, however, were left with the Ruby Dragon, giving it their all, even if it wasn't enough.

As crimson lightning and yellow sound waves assaulted a band of Tyrannodrones, Trent was distracted for only a moment, watching and kind of envying the duo. Elsa took the opportunity to knock him off his feet, pointing her sword at his throat. A Tyranno Staff knocked it away, however, and she looked up at the Red Ranger, sensing his glare as the Ruby Dragon stepped up behind her.

"Now what fun would that be, huh, going away?" Elsa snickered, backing off. "Then I wouldn't get to see you reveal your big secret."

"Secret? What secret?"

"It's nothing," Trent shook his head at Conner, standing. "She's just trying to mess with us."

"Then why don't you tell them?" she remarked snidely.

"Conner, can you take it from here?"

"Yeah," the Red Ranger nodded, looking over his shoulder as he summoned the Triassic Shield. "Kira! Ethan! Kaylee! Ready?"

As Hunter pushed back the wave of Tyrannodrones with a wave of crimson lightning, the three Rangers ran forward, aiming their Dino Gems towards their leader. Beams of yellow, blue and green flowed outwards, reaching the Triassic Shield and giving it color. As they powered down, Conner powered up, the triangles on his arms flaring to golden life like the emblem on his chest and helmet.

Hunter placed a gentle hand on the small of the de-morphed Kira's back; steadying her as Conner took off, sucking the Tyrannodrones and Ruby Dragon into the Triassic Realm, focusing all his strength on blasting them to pieces. Well, the Tyrannodrones, at least. The Ruby Dragon, however, returned to the forest with him, crumpling to the ground beside Elsa, wounded. "Well, at least it's better than nothing," Conner stated half-heartedly.

Seeing the state of her prized monster, Elsa shrieked, her hand lifting into the air as she glared at the Rangers, summoning an invisiportal. The two were sucked inside, vanishing, and the Rangers congratulated Conner as he powered down. He, however, could do nothing but look at Trent crossly. "Trent, what was she talking about?"

"If there's something you need to tell us, now's the time to do it," Ethan added.

"We're your friends. Whatever it is, Trent, it can't be that bad," Kira went on, leaning back against Hunter, who nodded.

"Now? Really? Here?" Kaylee groaned, looking around. "There might be sinkholes."

"Kaylee's right. Let's head back to base to discuss this," Dr. O told them.

* * *

xX-Pick-A-Card-Any-Card-Xx

* * *

"Trent, we're a team," Dr. O stated as they walked down the stairs into his basement. "We work together doing something that takes the ultimate trust in each other."

"If you're holding back on us," Conner added roughly, "how are we supposed to trust you out there in battle?"

"Conner!" Kira exclaimed, but he shrugged, nonchalant.

"What? I'm just stating the facts."

"He's right," Trent sighed, sitting down on a stool and regarding the team before him. Kira and Conner's glares, though directed at different people. Hunter's gentling tugging on his girlfriend's hand, looking like he feared that at any moment she'd launch herself at the Red Ranger and tear him apart. And finally, Kaylee and Ethan, who regarded him with sympathetic expressions, Dr. O, who looked stern. "Look, this is how it is. I went to Mesogog's lab to get the card back, okay?"

"You _what_?" Kira shrieked, her nails digging into the palm of Hunter's hand, causing him to cringe. She turned on him. "By yourself?"

"I found an invisiportal and it took me right there." His gaze shifted to Ethan, trying to appeal to him. "I was just trying to help you out, Ethe. So I took a shot."

"A stupid one," Kaylee commented. "It's dangerous there, remember? Easy to get your head zwopped off!"

"Yeah, it was. Got knocked out by that thing. I barely made it to help you guys."

"Dr. O, he was just being a good friend. Any of us would've done the same thing," Ethan stated, and silently, Trent cheered internally, knowing he'd won him over. Looking at the others, noted Kaylee and Kira's sympathetic looks, as well as Hunter's nod, and knew the white lie had convinced them. All of them except Conner, it seemed, who still regarded him with narrowed eyes.

"Well, none of you better in the future, that's all I can say," Dr. O said strictly, turning to his computers as Trent bowed his head.

"It won't happen again." Then, he touched his head with his hand, grimacing as he stood up, deciding it was his cue to leave before the Red Ranger began asking questions. "Look, I gotta go. My head's still feeling foggy."

"Okay, get some rest," Dr. O nodded, looking over his shoulder.

"Hey, Hunter, can I talk to you for a sec?" Conner requested, and the former Thunder Ranger frowned, pulling away from his girlfriend. They stopped out of earshot from the others, watching as Trent waved and left, and both Conner and Hunter noticed the worried glance Trent threw their way before disappearing upstairs. Conner got right to it. "He's lying."

"You think? The others seem pretty convinced," Hunter shrugged, wondering why the Red Ranger was so tense.

"You only think so because your girlfriend does," Conner muttered. "But I know he was lying to us. And I want you to find out why by tailing him."

Hunter broke into laughter, a grin stretching from ear to ear while the Red Ranger merely watched him, showing no amusement. Slowly, the Thunder Ninja's laughter died, and he blinked several times. "You aren't kidding, are you?"

"This is me, being completely serious," Conner stepped closer, dropping his voice. "Look, you weren't around last time, but the last time Trent started acting this whack was when he turned into the evil White Ranger, and I had a bad feeling back then that he was hiding something, like I do now. The others may think I'm nuts, but I know you'll understand."

"And why's that?"

"Because last time, he hurt Kira. Bad. She took his betrayal very hard, and I'm not about to let it happen again," Conner stated, raising his chin confidently. "And I don't think you will either, right?"

"I don't think this is a good idea…," Hunter hesitated, but the look on his face at the mention of harm coming to his girlfriend because of Trent's behaviour was enough to let Conner know he had won.

"Come on." All Conner had to do was push him a little.

"Fine. For Kira," Hunter grumbled, before dropping his voice dangerously. "Just don't breathe a word of it to her."

"Deal," Conner nodded, holding out his hand to shake on it. But Hunter turned away from him, heading over to the dirty blonde in question, leaning down to drop a kiss on her cheek. Conner found his hands quickly balling into fists.

"I gotta go," Hunter told her, sounding guilty.

"What?" Her hazel eyes filled with sadness and confusion.

"I'll call you later and I'll you about it, okay?" he promised, kissing her lightly on the lips this time. "I'll be back."

"Wait, but-"

"I'm afraid we've got bigger things to worry about, Kira," Dr. Oliver's voice broke through as the computer alarms went off, the screen flickering to life and displaying the Ruby Dragon. Reluctantly, Kira nodded, waving as Hunter turned to take the stairs two at a time out of the basement lab. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about this. A really bad feeling.

* * *

And there you have it. For those of you following along with the episodes, this would be one half of _House of Cards_, renamed because I wasn't about to have a bunch of "Part Ones" and "Part Twos" at the end of the series.

Kindly review, and be rewarded with the next instalment, _King of Hearts._


	33. King Of Hearts

I'd like to take a quick moment to everyone who's reviewed so far. It was so great to see a bunch of your names show up in my review alerts, not to mention welcoming me back and you guys coming back to read the Dino Thunder series once more. To answer some of the reviews I received, don't worry, the triangle of Hunter-Kira-Conner will be resolved soon enough. That said, enjoy the second half of _House of Cards_, in this continuation, named _King of Hearts_.

It's a shorter chapter than regularly, but I hope you like it nevertheless.

**

* * *

King Of Hearts**

Ten minutes later and Hunter had caught up to Trent as he sluggishly walked up the driveway to the Mercer residence. The Thunder Ninja was glad he did in fact seem to be weak, because not only had it made him easy to follow, but perhaps it meant he wasn't lying and in fact would be going inside and straight to bed like he'd promised.

Hunter wound his way around the house, keeping cover amongst the bushes, ninja streaking past any cameras, undetected. He picked up Trent again as he turned the light on in the study, where the blinds were drawn wide, even at night. Curious, but convenient. Curious, too, because it wasn't Trent's bedroom. But worst of all, was the glow Hunter spotted as Trent walked further into the room. The glow of an invisiportal.

"What are you doing, Trent?" Hunter frowned, watching as he reached out towards the invisiportal. Just before it reacted and sucked him inside, the White Dino Gem on his wrist began to flash, and Trent groaned. Slowly, rolling his eyes, he turned away and the glow died, snuffed out in the darkness left behind as Trent exited the study, turning off the light and moving out down the hall.

In the darkness, Hunter waited and listened as Trent went out through the front door of the house, pulling a jacket tighter around the collar as he jogged to the bottom of the driveway, looked left and right, and then morphed. In a flash, he was gone, using the suit's speed to get him going.

A quick ninja steak later and Hunter found that Trent had not locked the front door as he'd run out, given that he'd been able to walk right in. Slowly, he crept down the hall, hoping that Anton Mercer was most definitely not home. Pushing the door to the study open, he opted not to turn on the light, fearing that it would be a tip off leaving it on once…

"You're not actually thinking of going _through_ that thing are you, Bradley?" he asked himself, frowning as he pulled his phone from his pocket, using it as a flashlight. Conner had asked him to follow Trent, and since the White Ranger was no longer here, but headed towards the fight with the Ruby Dragon, he needn't be here. But that portal…he knew what he'd seen. He knew it was here. And he knew it meant bad news because it meant Trent was surely lying to them.

He thought of Trent's uneasy look, directed at him and Conner, who were watching suspiciously from the corner. He thought of Conner's words, about what had happened last time Trent had lied, snuck around, hurt them. And finally, he thought of Kira. He thought of her laughter, her smile, and knew he would never want to see them fade as they would if she were hurt. Yes, he realized with a shake of his head, he planned on going through this.

"Damn stubborn Red Ranger," he muttered, reaching out like he'd seen Trent do minutes before. Suddenly, the invisiportal flared to life, just at his fingertips and he sucked in a deep breath before it pulled him inside.

It was unsettling feeling, traveling by invisiportal. It hadn't felt like this at all, teleporting with Kaylee and her powers. This felt like he was being pulled apart, collapsing in on himself. His whole body felt light, as if a black hole had appeared at his middle and was pulling the rest of him inwards. He felt like he might puke. He felt like he'd be stuck there forever, spinning and spinning and spinning.

And then, just as suddenly as it had sucked him inside, the invisiportal spit him back out. He expected to be disoriented and stumble, but he landed perfectly and silently on his feet, as if it had only been one step between the study at the Mercer place and-MESOGOG'S FORTRESS?

He knew, immediately, not just because of its gloomy appearance, with the dinosauric designs on the black walls, and the shelves upon shelves of scientific machines and bottles and tubes, but also because in front of him, back turned, screaming over the sight of her Ruby Dragon being finally blown to pieces, was _Elsa_.

Thinking quickly, Hunter launched himself behind the nearest machine, landing softly thanks to his training. He peered out, watching her scream and curse and rant about the Rangers, and sighed, thankful she hadn't noticed his presence. What wasn't thankful for, however, were the three pieces of information this had given him.

One: Trent owned an invisiportal that came _straight _to Mesogog's fortress from his _house_.

Two: He was headed here after meeting with the Rangers instead of to bed.

Three: he was most definitely lying to them all.

* * *

xX-King-Of-Hearts-Xx

* * *

"_Kira! Hey, Rockstar! Come on!"_

"What?" Kira shook her head, coming to her senses inside the cockpit of the Thundersaurus Megazord. Her gaze trailed upwards to find Conner looking down at her.

"We need you to focus on the fight, Rockstar," he told her, though not unkindly. "Me and Ethe can't pilot the Megazord alone."

"Yeah, Kaylee and I tried, remember? It's hard."

"I'm sorry, guys," she bowed her head, apologetic. "I was just-"

"_Worried. We know_," Kaylee's voice came in over the com-link from over in the Dragon Megazord. "_Bradley probably just had an emergency at school. It happens even on days off. He'll be fine. Now, quit worrying and help me and Trent's mighty Megazord, and Dr. O's borrowed one rip this dragon to smithereeeens!_"

"_I worry that you get too excited by this stuff, honestly_," Trent's voice added.

"Ready?" Conner asked, looking at both Kira and Ethan. The latter nodded quickly, and though it took Kira a moment, but she followed suit. He outstretched his hand, and suddenly, his Dino Gem began to glow from beneath his suit, enveloping his whole hand. Slowly, Ethan and Kira followed suit, and three streams of color flowed forth from their Dino Gems, lighting up the whole cockpit.

From the window, they watched as the Mezodon Megazord and Dragon Megazord were covered in a gold glow, and undoubtedly, so was theirs, as everyone had gifted the powers of the Dino Gems to their creations. All together, they launched their attack, beams of golden light spreading out from the towering machines and cutting through the Ruby Dragon, tearing it to pieces once and for all.

The Rangers cheered, but Kira remained quiet, staring out the Megazord window, worrying…

* * *

xX-King-Of-Hearts-Xx

* * *

The doors slid open with a hiss, and Hunter quickly realized it wasn't the door at all, but the furious dinosauric man that came striding in. Elsa turned from the machine, wide-eyed. "You have disappointed me again, Elsa."

"Master, I-"

"I give you chance after chance!" he growled, stalking up to Elsa and grabbing her by the throat, pushing her against the screen where she'd watched her Ruby Dragon be defeated until he heard it crack. "And yet you fail me every time. You are beginning to be quite unreliable, my dear."

"I am…sorry…Master," she wheezed, and Hunter cringed, looking away as he struck her across the face, dropping her to the ground.

"My patience with you is running thin, Elsa," he spat, not even bothering to look down upon her as he turned away, heading for the door. "Soon I will be forced to correct your wrongs, and I will not be gentle."

Once the door slid shut behind him, Hunter watched as she pulled herself to her feet, steadying herself with the machine. An uneasy feeling settled on his shoulders and he shivered. It was definitely time to leave. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he edged out slowly from behind the machine, heading for the air where he remembered the invisiportal to be. "I will be forced to act first, my master, starting with this Ruby Dragon card," he heard Elsa cackle, but it was her next words that froze him to the core. "But first, I wonder how much electricity a Thunder Ranger can take, hmm?"

"Shit," Hunter swore, not even looking her way as he made a desperate jump for the portal, hoping to get sucked inside before-

-pain erupted in his side, spreading outwards from his ribs, causing his whole body to spasm. His jaw slammed against the cold stone floor when he hit it, teeth grinding together, and his phone slipped from his numb fingers, sliding across the floor into the cover of a machine's wiring. As more lightning crackled across his body, sending rivulets of pain spiralling over his skin, a strong hand grabbed the back of his sweater, lifting him off the ground and throwing him through the air. He crashed into the machine Elsa had used to lift herself up, and spat out blood onto the floor, slowly glaring up at the madwoman that stood over him, hands on her hips, grinning wickedly.

"How very unfortunate for you that you chose to like the color yellow, boy."

* * *

xX-King-Of-Hearts-Xx

* * *

"I hope you learned something from this, Ethan," Dr. O stated as he and the team walked through the halls of Reefside High the next day.

"And please don't say something stupid," Kaylee grinned, looping her arm with his, elbowing him playfully.

"Leave the card games at home from now on?" he offered, making her roll her eyes. She poked him in the side, causing him to squirm. "What?"

"I said don't say something stupid."

"Kaylee's right, how about leaving them altogether, dude?" Conner chuckled. "Like, letting the six year olds handle it?"

"You guys just don't understand," Ethan sighed, shaking his head. "But hey, that's alright, I personally didn't expect you to."

"I feel like there's an insult in there somewhere," Kaylee frowned, but her grin never faltered as it turned into a giggle. "But you're our friend, so I'll let it slide! Because I gotta admit, some of those freaky little monsters were kinda cool. Except for the one that tried to kill us, obviously. He was mean."

Her light-heartedness gave Ethan a laugh, eliciting a smile from Dr. O, but Conner noticed Kira hadn't done anything of the sort, nor participated in berating Ethan. Instead, she trudged along behind them, hugging her books tightly to her chest, watching her footsteps with great interest. He nudged her with his elbow, drawing her attention up to him. "You okay, Kira?" A shrug. He nudged her again, this time smiling sincerely. "Come on, Rockstar. What's up?"

"Hunter didn't call last night. He hasn't been replying to my texts either," she sighed, glaring at her feet now. "I hate to seem like one those obnoxious clingy girlfriends, because I'm not, honestly, it's just…I can't but feel something's wrong."

_I want you to tail Trent, find out what he's hiding.  
What? You're kidding. -  
Last time, he hurt Kira. I don't want to see it happen again.  
…Fine. For Kira._

A lump rose in his throat, and for a moment, he thought he wouldn't get the words out. He didn't want to, either. He'd never lied to Kira. He didn't want to start now, especially not seeing as she was this worried. And yet… "I'm sure he's fine," Conner replied, looking away, trying to swallow that unease. But it simply got worse when the Rangers turned the corner to come face to face with not only Trent, but his father, Anton Mercer.

Dr. O exchanged pleasantries with his old friend, and the others chimed in, but the blood pounding in Conner's ears drowned it all out as he narrowed his eyes at Trent. The latter looked up, locking eyes with Conner and simply smiling.

The boys snapped out of it when the others gasped, and Conner looked down to see Ethan bend down to pick something up. He watched as Trent's eyes widen and confusion crossed Anton's face. "H-How…How did you get this?" Ethan stammered, and it was then that Conner, taller than all his friends, peered over the Blue Ranger's shoulder to see the Ruby Dragon card. _No way…_

"I don't know," Anton frowned, picking it from Ethan's hands and showing his son. "Trent, is this yours?"

"No," Trent shook his head, but his eyes met Conner's a moment, noticing the glare that watched his every move. "I don't know how it got-Dad?" Anton had fallen forward, his breathing suddenly heavy. "Dad?"

"Anton, you alright?" Dr. O questioned, leaning down with Trent and trying to pull Anton back to his feet.

"Fine," his old friend snapped, pushing him off, and Conner's eyes widened. No way he'd just seen the man's eyes flash yellow…there was no way… "Just leave me alone."

"We should get you some help."

"No," both Conner and Anton said simultaneously. Kira and Kaylee snapped up to look at their leader, while Dr. O reached out to Anton again, being met with a harsh curse as he pushed away from them, taking off down the hall.

"Conner," Kira frowned. "Why did you just-"

"Leave him alone!" Trent yelled after the guys, starting after them. "He'll be fine!"

"Guys, shouldn't we be-" but Kaylee was cut off as Conner cursed, shaking his head.

"I can't believe we never noticed."

"Noticed what?" the girls asked together as Conner started down the hall, a firm glare set onto his features as he ran after the others, the girls at his sides.

"Think about it. Why would Anton Mercer have that card when we knew Elsa and Mesogog had it last?"

"I-I don't-"

"Yes, you do. You know exactly why. Why Trent would know how to get to Mesogog's fortress to get the card back. Why he had access to the White Dino Gem in the first place. Why Anton always slips in and out of the picture. It also explains why…" but he stopped short, unable to finish that sentence. _Why Hunter hasn't returned yet…_

"Why what?" Kira questioned, but Kaylee let out a gasp as they reached the door to an open classroom and they followed her gaze to watch Anton finish convulsing, his body flashing yellow, his shape slowly dissipating into that of Mesogog.

Conner's hands balled into fists as Mesogog focused on Trent, who stood apart from Dr. O and Ethan, eyes wide not with shock, but with worry. He pushed past the girls and grabbed the White Ranger by the collar, ignoring Kira's cries behind him as he slammed the boy up against the wall. "You knew!" he spat angrily, his voice dropping dangerously. "This was your secret, wasn't it? You knew all along!"

"He's my father, how could I tell you?"

"We're your team and he's the enemy! For our safety, you're _supposed_ to tell us!" The pressure increased against the White Ranger's throat. From the front of the room, Mesogog hissed a warning about Trent paying for having betrayed him, and Conner shook his head, chuckling darkly. "Betrayed us, actually."

"Silence!" Mesogog roared, eyes flashing as he stepped towards the pair. The other Rangers stepped into his path, but weren't needed as suddenly he convulsed and began to flash. Conner's grip on Trent loosened in his distraction, and the shorter teen pushed him back, taking a step towards his father as Anton Mercer was again before them, on his knees, looking up at his son. "I'm sorry, Trent…" His arm rose above his head, and called forth and invisiportal that sucked him inside, leaving the Rangers alone.

Alone to glare at the crestfallen White Ranger.

* * *

xX-King-Of-Hearts-Xx

* * *

His whole body ached. His vision was blurry, and he was sure his right eye had almost swollen shut. The right side of his ribcage, where Elsa had first electrocuted him when he'd tried to run, the same place she'd struck innumerable times since then, throbbed, and he knew if he'd had the strength to reach down to it, he would undoubtedly find more than one broken bone. His left ear was ringing, but he couldn't be bothered to discover why as he sat there, bruised and battered.

He shouldn't be in this situation. He had trained under his father, Sensei Omino, to be a better fighter than this. He had learned to defend himself better. And yet, sitting there, he found it hard to blame himself for his condition. Instead, he found it rather easy to blame Conner, the one who had asked him to follow Trent. The reason he was here. Maybe he was right in putting the blame with Conner, maybe he wasn't. He didn't care.

The doors slid open, and Elsa sauntered back into the lab, slowly stepping up to the caged portion she had thrown him into, a sick grin on her lips. "How are we feeling, Thunder?"

He mustered enough energy to spit at her feet, glaring through his good eye. She grimaced, shaking her foot to get rid of the saliva. "It must be terrible, sitting there, knowing she probably doesn't even know you're missing. Knowing she won't come for you." Her vendetta against Kira had pissed him off long ago. Now it only served to aggravate him more.

"You won't get away with it, no matter how clever you think you are," he rasped, throat raw and lips dry. "Emo Barbies always get their dues."

"Cute that you think yourself in a position to threaten me," she smirked, dragging her sword against the bars of the cage as she paced before him. "But your friends have no idea where you are, Thunder. You're a lost cause."

"My hands or theirs," he shrugged, keeping his glare firm, refusing to show the pain he felt when he moved. "You'll get yours, Elsa."

The doors slid open again, this time allowing Mesogog to stalk in. He didn't look happy as his eyes narrowed at Elsa. Hunter grinned. "Or maybe it'll be right now."

"Shut up," she hissed, seconds before Mesogog's clawed hands wound around her throat, pinning her against the cage bars. "M-Master…?"

"Whatever made you think you could get away with betraying me, Elsa?" he seethed, and from the ground three feet away, Hunter could smell his fowl breath, grimacing.

"Betray you?" she wheezed, her hands trying to pry his grip off her. "I would never-" Suddenly a beam shot forth from his forehead, hitting hers and causing her to crumple in his grasp. He dropped her rather unceremoniously onto the ground, smirking as her hands clamped over her temples and she screwed her eyes shut, wincing. "I did try to betray…Mercer… but my lord…I tried to rid…you of your one weakness."

The casual mention of Anton Mercer no longer bothered Hunter, because he'd watched the doctor teleport in the previous evening, send him a shocked look, and then transform. It made sense as to why there had been a portal at his house, and why Trent had been hiding this information from the others. He'd yet to figure out a way for this to benefit him.

His thoughts drifted to Kira, as they'd often done since he'd been captured. Was she worried? He hadn't left with much explanation. Was she looking for him? Conner had probably made an excuse, something to soothe her. Thinking of the Red Ranger comforting his girlfriend made his hands ball into fists with the little energy he had, anger seeping through his pores. If-_when, Hunter, when…let's stay positive_-he got out of here, he was definitely going to deck the guy one.

Elsa's crying brought him back to the present, and he looked over to see her on her knees, tears running down her cheeks with her mascara, her hands still clamped over her temples. "Please, my lord, I pledge you my undying loyalty!" she shrieked. "I will never betray you again!" Apparently, this was enough for him, as he released her from his psychic grip, lifting her chin so she faced him.

"I know you won't. You are right, however, about my weaknessss," he let her go, standing up straight as a Tyrannodrone shuffled in through the door, carrying a vial of blue-green liquid. "As long as he existsss I am vulnerable." He sniffed at the vile, a low growl emanating from his throat as he takes it from the Tyrannodrone. It bowed its head and retreated from the room, the door sliding shut behind it. "That is why I will see to it that Anton Mercer never returnsss!" He lifted the vile to his lips and-

"Wait!" Hunter called, hissing in pain as he pushed himself to the bars, looking out at the dinosauric man whose attention he'd caught. "What's that going to do to Trent's dad?"

"What doesss it matter to you, boy?" Mesogog laughed. "His existence brought you into captivity, didn't it? It would be better for us all if it never been ssso."

"You can't just kill him!" Hunter exclaimed, but Mesogog tipped the contents into his mouth, swallowing it all. He began to glow, then flash, going back and forth between the image of Mesogog and Anton. Hunter had seen it before, when he'd transformed, but something felt different this time. Something felt…off.

Suddenly, the image of Anton Mercer began to move in a direction opposite of Mesogog, seemingly falling forward slowly. And then, just as suddenly, Anton Mercer fell to his knees, breathing deeply, drenched in sweat, while Mesogog stood there, head held high, a laugh rippling through the air. He spat on Mercer, kicking him in the back and sending him flat.

He stepped past the half-conscious Mercer, and growled at Hunter. "I don't intend to kill Mercer-at leassst, not yet. At the moment he's far more useful to me alive, as are you."

"As bait," Hunter seethed, and a smile slithered across Mesogog's scaly lips.

* * *

Oh noes! What have I done? Hunterrrrr? Muahahahahaha. Let me know what you guys think.

Up next: _Broken Trust, Part One_.


	34. Broken Trust, Part 1

Thanks again for everyone for the reviews. It really means a lot to me that you're all so happy to see this back. I know I'll become obnoxious will all the thank yous, but ah well :)

That said, without further ado, here's _Broken Trust, Part One_ (using pieces from A Test Of Trust).

I warn you. 'Tis not the happiest ending in the world.  
**

* * *

**

**Broken Trust, Part One**

"I knew Mercer wasn't PTA material, but Mesogog? How crazy is that?" Ethan whistled, sitting on the stairs next to the lab computers. Above him, Kaylee spun on one of the computer chairs, staring at the ceiling, while Kira paced, back and forth, a scowl set into her features, her arms crossed. Conner sat farther off, looking lost in thought.

"Crazier than farting monkeys," Kaylee nodded. "Which," she 'ported out, green smoke filling her place, and a second later, she was back, a stuffed monkey in her hands, "we know exist." It farted.

"I just think its whack we never noticed, y'know?" Ethan continued.

"Not to mention, the revelation of Elsa _and_ this, so soon one after another," Kaylee added.

"What is wrong with you two?" Kira yelled, her patience finally run out, her hands balling into fists at her sides as she looked at them. "Sure, someone we know turns out to be the enemy, and sure it's shocking, but Trent knew it all along! Trent knew his father was out there, trying to kill us, and never said anything! He lied over and over again and we trusted him when it could've gotten us killed. I mean, has anyone thought maybe he kept it from us because he never became good? Maybe he's still been plotting to kill us with his dad!"

"Easy, Kira," Kaylee soothed, crossing the distance between them in seconds, placing her hands on her pseudo-sister's shoulders. "I know it's hard, given the history, but I do get where he's coming from."

"You what?" the Yellow Ranger spat.

"I…well, I understand why he'd want to hide it," Kaylee admitted. "Look how we're reacting. He was probably scared of the outcome. I was when I kept my secret from everyone."

"Yes, because that _totally_ could've gotten us killed," Kira rolled her eyes, pushing away.

"That's completely different!" Ethan spoke up, jumping to Kaylee's unneeded defense. "Don't compare your situation to Trent's, because it's not like you were harbouring the enemy, Kayl." But Kaylee wasn't paying attention to him; her eyes were stuck on the pacing-again Kira.

"This isn't about Trent at all, is it?" Kaylee breathed, shaking her head. "You're projecting, aren't you?"

"Shut up," Kira whispered, crossing her arms and staring at the floor.

"You're worried about Hunter, and about how he hasn't contacted you, and you're channelling your anger and worry into this thing with Trent, hmm?" Kaylee smiled sweetly, waiting only a moment of answerable silence before she leapt from the steps and onto Kira, who managed to sustain her in a lopsided piggy back.

"I said shut up," Kira stated, though not unkindly this time as Kaylee looped her arms around her best friend, hugging.

"You know what I find weird?" Ethan asked, spinning in the chair Kaylee had been occupying before, having stolen it when she'd jumped Kira. He pointed past them, and they turned slightly to see Conner sitting there, thoughtful. "Usually he's driving the Trent-hatred bandwagon."

_**ZWOP!**_

"As a little sister, it is my duty to annoyingly bother you until you tell us what you've done with Conner," Kaylee grinned, her hands reaching for Conner's sides, fingers wiggling. "I felt the need to warn you before-"

"I'm on the bandwagon," the Red Ranger sighed, shooing away her hands before they reached him, turning to look at his teammates. "I just…I'm distracted."

The fact that there was obviously something wrong with him seemed to soften Kira's mood as she stepped towards him, her scowl slowly transitioning into a sincere smile. She placed her hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with her head titled. "You okay, Jockboy?"

"I…" Looking up into her eyes had clearly not been his best idea, as the second he met those hazel orbs, his conversation with Hunter rushed back to mind, flooding him with guilt. Why hadn't he returned? Why hadn't he contacted Kira? What had happened to him? …Was it Conner's fault? He needed to tell her, the very notion of lying to the girl in front of him churning his stomach. Yet still, he told her "I'm fine."

She didn't look convinced, so he wrapped his head around the problem at hand, trying to tackle it like the leader he was. "Alright, so Trent lied to us about his dad being Mesogog, that much we know. But we need to figure out what we do with that information. Do we trust him to be running around with his powers?"

"What do we do if we don't?" Ethan questioned. "Do we just ask him to give us his morpher and expect the dude to lie down without a fight?"

"No way," Kira shook her head. "I mean, if it were me and I had to give back my powers, I don't know if I could handle it. These things are a part of us, no matter who we are and what we've done." She motioned to the Dino Gem on her wrist.

"Funny, given that when this all started, you were the one who didn't want anything to do with the gems," Conner smirked, tapping the hand on his shoulder. She scoffed, using that hand to wave off his statement, and he raised his eyebrow, chuckling. "I seem to remember something along the lines of," he adopted his best Kira impression, pretending he had the Dino Gem in his hand as he girlishly dropped it into her palm, "_take it, do whatever, just don't involve me!_"

"I do _not_ speak like that," she seethed, but her lips were curling into an undeniable smile. She shrugged. "But I guess you're right. I didn't want anything to do with these freaky things. Not that that stopped those Tyrannodrones from capturing me."

"And us from rescuing you, sweet damsel," Conner teased, and she smacked him on the shoulder.

"Which was mostly my doing!" Kaylee chimed in, hopping up and down, her hand in the air. She frowned mid-hop, however.

"And I'm still not sure how," Ethan laughed. "Since you need to know where you're going before you teleport, yet still managed to go right to her."

"A sign of ultimate friendship, dude," Kaylee grinned, offering a high-five to Kira, who returned both the smile and the gesture. "A friendship that's gotten so much more awesome since then. For all of us, really."

"Because we've changed," Kira nodded. "Being a Ranger's done that to us." Hearing Conner's derisive laugh, she crossed her arms, smirking at him. "Don't believe me, Jockboy? Remember what you were like before this started?"

"Dumb, cocky, competitive," Kaylee enumerated, making her monkey fart with every word. She giggled. "How's that any different than now?"

Conner made a move to lunge at the girl, but Kira's grip on his shoulder held him back. "Okay, so Kaylee's way of saying it is a little backwards, but listen. When we met, you and Ethan were constantly at odds, taking shots at one another."

"We were?"

"Yeah," Ethan chuckled. "I seem to remember you taunting me in the field of dating, reminding me of the existence of the girls that smell nice, with the long hair and the make-up…" No one missed the fact that his eyes trailed from Conner to the rocker that stood beside him. Conner glared.

"Your point?"

"You were rude. Insensitive. Incorrigible," Kira shrugged. "But you learned about teamwork, you turned into a leader, you became our friend. And through all that, you became a better person. You protected all of us when you gained your Triassic powers. You saved me when you unlocked the Battlizer. You've become a really great leader, Con, and a really great person, and those changes wouldn't have happened if you hadn't become a Ranger."

His eyes met hers, and both Kaylee and Ethan felt uncomfortable being there all of a sudden. Kaylee coughed. Kira cleared her throat and looked away, the moment passing, but even in the silence, it was evident what his eyes had reflected. Her words from Xmeaster came back to Kaylee, who remembered hiding behind Cyberspace's counter and listening to Kira, who had been adamant that nothing would've developed between herself and Conner if they hadn't become Rangers, that no feelings would exist, and they would've gone on happily ignoring each other's existence.

It made the Green Ranger sad that it had not worked out, but she didn't want to be selfish as Kira was with Hunter now. Even if they still hadn't heard from him…

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

"Doctor Mercer!" Hunter whispered urgently for the umpteenth time, leaning against the bars to his cage, trying to reach out to the man lying unconscious a few feet away. "Doctor Mercer, please, I need you to get up!" His hair was still slick with sweat, and Hunter was beginning to fear the man was running a temperature. Who knew what that liquid Mesogog had drunk could've done to him. But it was pressing that the doctor awoke, or else they'd never be getting out of here alive. "Doctor!"

No movement, no sound, just his continued steady breathing, his face plastered against the tiled flooring of the lab. "Shit," Hunter swore, running a hand weakly through his hair. "I wish it didn't have to come to this." He rubbed his fingers together on his right hand, quickly creating an electrical current. If he couldn't get Doctor Mercer to wake by calling him out, he was hoping he could kick-start his nerves with the little juice he'd been storing up. He just hoped it was enough.

He took a deep breath, and unleashed a streak of electricity, hitting Mercer in the back. He convulsed for only a moment before flipping over onto his back and coughing, beginning to move, and Hunter cut the connection. Mercer coughed a few more times, leaning onto his side and spitting the blue-green liquid out onto the floor, grimacing as he did. When he was finished, his gaze moved towards the cage and he found Hunter, nodding. "Thank you, young man."

"Um, you're welcome?" Hunter frowned, not quite sure what he'd just witnessed.

"I believe the solution Mesogog used to separate us contained a paralyzing compound," he explained, running a hand through his slicked hair. "I could hear you calling to me, but could do nothing to respond. I assume he meant for it to keep me there until he returned."

"Shit, never thought of that," Hunter chuckled, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry for the shock."

"Thank you for it, actually," he spat at the small puddle on the floor, sliding away from it on the floor and using a machine to pull himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly, his knees nearly buckling, before he found stability, making his way over to Hunter's cage and reaching for the lock.

"Don't try it," Hunter sighed, shaking his weak head, leaning back against the wall, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "I can't shock it off, melt it, pry it loose. Nothing."

"Then what…," Mercer trailed off, looking around, keeping his grip on a bar to stay upright when a wave of weakness hit him.

"Neither one of us are strong enough to get us both outta here," Hunter revealed. He pointed towards one of the machines. "There's an invisiportal over there, it's how I got here. I'm sure you knew that, however, because it's in your study. Just underneath the machine to its right is my cell phone. Take it to the Rangers; tell them about the portal, they'll figure out what to do."

"What about you?" Mercer frowned. "I can't just leave you here. Once Mesogog discovers me missing he'll surely…"

"I'll deal," Hunter smiled, mustering up as much strength as he could. "This isn't the first time the bad guy's taken his anger out on me for his plans going wrong."

"You…you're one of them, aren't you?"

"Was, just an involved civilian now," Hunter nodded, motioning towards the invisiportal's location. "Now, get outta here. Elsa's due for another round of shock therapy any minute now, and I don't want our only window to go to waste."

Mercer made his way over to the invisiportal, leaning down to pick up Hunter's phone from the dust beneath the machine where it had landed before he'd been captured. He hesitated, turning to look at the Thunder Ninja. "You know that Mesogog and I are…were, one and the same, and yet, you trust me. Why?"

"I know what it's like to be forced to do things you don't want to. I know what it's like to not have a choice. And I also know you love your son, very much. So here's your chance to prove to him and the others you're more than the person you've been forced to be. Don't let it go to waste."

"Thank you," he smiled, before a shriek brought their attention to the door. Elsa stood there, fists clenched, glaring at the doctor.

"Run!" Hunter yelled, lurching forward and unleashing a small streak of lightning that hit her in the arm, deflecting the shot of electricity she'd been intending to send at Mercer. It went wide, smashing into the machine beside him, and the blowback was enough force to propel him straight into the invisiportal, winking out of sight.

"You idiot!" Elsa screamed, holding her bleeding arm and stomping towards the cage.

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

"Look, it's nice and all that we're reminiscing on how much we've changed," Conner stated, standing up, looking at his teammates. "But we're avoiding the bigger issue here. Has Trent changed? Did he really ditch the White Gem's influence and see it our way, or has he been lying to us this whole time, working with daddy dearest?"

"How about we let him answer that question, guys," Tommy's voice sounded before anyone could answer their leader, and the teens turned to see him descend the stairs, Trent alongside him, a sombre expression crossing his features. "Please? I've talked to him on the way here, and I think he should be heard." Reluctantly, Conner took his previous seat, creating a semi-circle around the White Ranger with the others, but Kira noticed the whiteness in the Red Ranger's knuckles, his narrowed eyes watching Trent with intent. It sparked the anger within her, as well, remembering everything that was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Trent began, bowing his head as Tommy took a seat at the computers. "I'm sorry for not telling you guys about my dad. I'm sorry for lying."

"So you admit it."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm not on your side," Trent pleaded, looking at the Yellow Ranger who'd spoken. "Look, I know it looks bad, but I made a promise to him. To my dad. I couldn't just-"

"What about your promise to us?" Kira snapped, on the offensive once more.

"I never let my feelings get in the way of my Ranger duties!" Trent exclaimed, and the room fell silent, tension filling in the gaps. He seemed to realize his choice of words was not the best given the current situation, and he took a step forward, looking apologetic. "Kira, I-"

"Don't," she spat, stepping away from him, arms crossed again. "Dr. O's asking us to give you a chance to explain, so get to it, we don't have all day."

"Look, I know I have no excuses for the harm I've caused you," he stood straight, eyes falling on each of his teammates. "All of you. But you know things haven't been easy for me. I never meant to find the White Dino Gem. It found me. I tried to fight it but the power was too strong."

"You'll have no trouble giving it back then, right?" Kaylee giggled, and Ethan shot her a look. "Sarcasm! Totally sarcasm!"

"When Mesogog had had enough of my trying to destroy both you and him, he tried to kill me. He almost managed it, too, if my dad hadn't saved me at the last second. The ray that was supposed to blast me to pieces broke the White Dino Gem's evil, and…," he trailed off, sighing. "Anton Mercer's the only family I have…he wanted me to join you guys since I was in control, and so I promised him I wouldn't tell you guys anything. I…I knew I couldn't break my promise to him. So I decided to fight with you guys, for him, until he's free of Mesogog forever. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. My father thought he could handle it on his own, and so did I. I know now I was wrong…"

In the silence that followed, the Rangers regarded one another, each contemplating the confession they'd been presented with. It was Kaylee who stepped forth first, placing her hand on Trent's shoulder. "My boyfriend and sister attacked me while under Lothor's control, and I forgave them, the same way we forgave Cam when we figured out his uncle, Sensei's twin brother, was Lothor himself. We got through it as a team. I figure we can do the same here," she smiled widely, turning to face the others. "So, whaddaya say? Forgive and work past it, or shall I zwop the gem off his arm forevermore?"

"Being a Ranger is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Trent chuckled nervously, moving his Dino Bracelet arm away from Kaylee slightly, who giggled. "I don't wanna lose that, trust me."

"I've heard that one before," Kira scoffed, but Conner moved from beside her, stepping up to the White Ranger, who cringed slightly when he outstretched his hand, probably expecting for the soccer star to throw him up against a wall again. When he saw nothing of the sort was happening, he looked down, frowning at his hand.

"You're supposed to shake it," Conner rolled his eyes, and tentatively, he did. In the flash of a superspeeding second and a streak of red, the Red Ranger had twisted the White Ranger's arm behind his back, pinning it between him. Kaylee took a step back, unsure of what was happening.

"Conner!" Kira called, but Ethan stood up from the computer chair, shaking his head.

"Let it happen, Kira."

"If you're lying again," Conner stated, Trent wincing as he pulled his locked arm tighter. "If you hurt anyone on my team. If you step one tiny toe over that line. If you do _anything_ that even remotely promotes betrayal, I'll personally feed you to my T-Rex faster than you can say lunch, understand?"

"I…I understand," Trent nodded emphatically, his eyes scanning the room, looking at his teammates. "I promise all of you, I'll prove to you that I'm on your side. No more lies."

"I hope so," Conner said, before releasing his grip and letting him go. Trent untwisted his arm, rubbing his wrist with his good arm, taking a step away from the intimidating Red Ranger. "Cuz Rex gets pretty hungry around lunchtime."

"He's kidding, right?" Trent whispered to Kaylee, who grinned sheepishly.

"Him and big red _are_ pretty close, y'know," she told him, watching him pale. Her eyes snapped towards her best friend, who was grabbing her handbag and jacket off her chair, putting the latter on.

"Right, well, I'm glad we worked this all out or whatever," Kira spoke up, drawing the boys' attention now as well. "But I think I'm going to go look for Hunter. I've pushed aside my worry long enough, and now it's stopped going to voicemail altogether and just keeps ringing."

"Hunter?" Trent frowned, watching the Yellow Ranger curiously. Apparently, Conner caught the look, because his voice sounded next.

"Why the look, Trent? Know anything about it?" He sounded pretty offensive, causing the others to frown as well.

"No, why would I?" the White Ranger took another step back, looking confused.

"You sound like he would," Kira stated, brow furrowed.

"No I don't," Conner shook his head, but cursed himself for how fast his reply had been, how he hadn't sounded at all like himself. He only hoped she hadn't noticed. But her eyes widened slightly, and he knew he was doomed. _Shit._

"Conner," she spoke, sounding almost afraid, and his heart cracked a little. "You know something, don't you?"

"No…," he shook his head weakly, taking a step back. _Please, let her believe me…_

"Conner… What do you know?"

_No, please…_ _please don't let this happen…_ "Nothing…"

"Conner," she said for a third time, her voice cracking.

_Please, she'll never trust me again_…"Kira, it's nothing, just-"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?" she shrieked, and everyone except him clamped their hands over their ears against the sound. He stood there, looking broken as he watched a tear fall from her hazel eyes, roll down those sweet cheeks and fall to the ground. He felt the weight of a million more pressing against his chest as he spoke.

"When we were suspicious about Trent…I mentioned I thought he should…that he should use his ninja streaking to shadow Trent, to tail him and figure out what he was up to."

"No…" The tears worsened, and her face contorted as if she wanted to take back the question, not hear a word he was uttering.

"No one agreed with my plan, so I let it go. But during the fight with Elsa and the dragon…," he trailed off, looking at Trent, trying not to think about the fury building inside the crying girl that held his heart in her fierce grip. "You were acting so strange, and they kept taunting you about hiding something from us that…" he looked back to Kira, softening as he reached out. "Last time, he hurt you so bad. His lies almost broke you, and I thought that if this time it happened again that I couldn't bear to see you-"

"Don't! Don't you dare!" she spat, slapping his hand away, taking a step back, her voice rising. "Don't you _dare_ turn this around on me! Tell me exactly what you did!"

His hand fell at his side, numb just like the rest of him. "I didn't believe his excuse about going to try and find the card. I mean, it might very well be the truth, sure, but I knew Elsa couldn't possibly be goading him over something that simple. So I…so I had Hunter follow him when he left. I told him to find out what Trent was keeping from us, because if he'd turned evil again, I knew you'd get hurt and that neither me nor Hunter would like that. So I ordered him to follow Trent when he-"

"Where did you go?" Kira whirled on Trent, her eyes glistening. "Where would he have followed you to?"

"I…," Trent noticed the Red Ranger shake his head over the petite girl's frame, but he bowed his head. He'd vowed that the lie about his father would be the last one he told his teammates, and although he had no idea what telling Kira the truth would unleash, he was determined to at least keep that promise. "I went home. To my study. There's an-"

But she'd heard all she need in the first three words as she dashed for the stairs, no thank you, no words for the others as she fled the Dino Lab. Conner called her name, taking the first step to following her as the computer alarms went off, finally bringing noise to the Rangers other than the argument at hand. He turned to see a monstrous creature light up the screen, and Dr. O looked down at Trent. "Looks like you'll get your chance to prove yourself, Trent."

Conner ignored them; making for the stairs, but Ethan called his name. He shook his head. "No, Ethe, I need to reach her. I need to make her understand-"

"If there's one person in this room who _shouldn't_ try that, my man, it's you. She'll tear you limb from limb. And we need you. We can't afford to lose you both."

"You can afford five minutes," Conner stated, not even looking back as he took the stairs two at a time. With his super-speed, he was out the door to Dr. O's in seconds, spotting the petite yellow-clad rocker storming away from the house, past his Mustang and the Jeep, wind blowing through her hair. For a girl who hadn't picked up the red super-speed gem at the beginning of all this, she sure was fast. He took off after her. "Kira!"

"Stay away from me, Conner!" she yelled, not bothering to look at him as he caught up.

"Kira, please, just listen," he grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her to face him. She ripped her arm away, glaring daggers at him before turning on her heel and walking away again. "Kira, please," he followed, pleading. "I knew something was up with Trent, and I knew you'd get hurt if things happened the way they did last time."

"Really? Cuz Trent's not the reason I'm hurting right now, thanks."

"I know I should've told you, but I knew that if I did, you'd stop Hunter. I knew I wouldn't get my answers and I…I was just trying to protect you, Rockstar." He reached for her wrist again, the tips of his fingers just barely touching her before she whirled around.

"I hate you!" she screamed, her Ptera scream flooring him. "I hate that I'm crying! I hate that you're the cause! I hate that you think you still need to protect me! I hate you! Don't follow me anymore, Conner, or so help me God I'll do worse than hate you."

He heard a roar rip across the sky and he noticed Kira's Dino Gem had begun to glow. In seconds, her yellow Raptor Rider broke through the line of trees to their left. It bowed its head and she swung herself on as it passed, breaking into a run once she was on. He watched her leave with such focus he barely heard the familiar teleporting sound behind him until Kaylee's light touch appeared on his shoulder.

"Conner?" she whispered sympathetically. "We need you. We gotta go."

* * *

Um, oops? We all knew she was going to freak out when she found out about Conner sending Hunter off. Shitty for him he had to fall for the girl with a super scream, really.

Next up, _Broken Trust, Part Two_.


	35. Broken Trust, Part 2

Thank everyone for the reviews. I was supposed to update last night, but given that right after I updated the last chapter, I downloaded my copy of Dragon Age II, well... let's just say no one in residence has seen me the last day and a half :)

That said, here's your semi-scheduled update of _Broken Trust, Part Two_! My apologies, however, as it's shorter than the others so far.

**

* * *

Broken Trust, Part Two**

"Whether or not you freed that idiot doctor doesn't matter," Mesogog hissed as Elsa held Hunter in her grasp, her blade pressed at his throat as they all faced the screen displaying Mesogog's own monster rampaging through town. "My pet will ssslaughter the Rangers, and no one will be left alive to sssave you, poor boy."

Although he was in pain, although there was a sword pointed at his throat, although Mesogog and Elsa believed his efforts had been in vain, hope was still able to rise in his chest as he saw the Rangers arrive onscreen-and he noticed that Yellow was missing.

"Desssstroy them, my pet."

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

The Rangers fired their lasers, dodging as the Zord-sized monster attempted to stomp them into oblivion. But it vanished for the second time, their lasers hitting air. Reappearing at their height, it swung out, wiping them all of their feet. Kaylee groaned as she hit the ground. "His whole disappearing act is so not cool."

Tommy was the first to stand, gripping his Thundermax Saber and heading for the monster. A growl erupted from within it and it fired off lasers of its own, striking the Black Ranger both dead in the chest and blasting him backwards, past the other Rangers, into the water beyond the dock.

"Dr. O!" Conner called, hands balling into fists. "Super Dino Mode doesn't even faze this guy. We need more power."

"Well, we can't do Triassic without Kira, so you're kind of stuck," Kaylee commented.

"What are we gonna do?" Ethan gulped.

"I'll substitute?" Trent offered, making Conner laugh. Beneath his mask, the White Ranger scowled. "You got a better idea? No. It's your best shot."

"Fine," he nodded, summoning the Triassic Shield. Together, Ethan, Kaylee and Trent's Dino Gems began to glow, power flooding out from them and into the shield, giving it brilliant color. The color spread to Conner's suit as it always did, but instead of yellow accents framing his mask and spikes, there was white. "Alright, freak, let's get this over with."

He activated the Shield, sucking the monster inside and vanishing from the battlefield into the Triassic World, facing off against his enemy with a smirk. "Just you and me."

"Not for long."

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

Kira crept along the hallway as silently as she could, wishing that perhaps she'd of waited until dark to do this, as her shadow cast along the ground, reaching further than she did. She was glad, however, that she'd de-morphed, because if she was caught, she hoped civilian form was far less suspicious than her Ranger one. Although, with Mesogog and Mercer being the same person…perhaps hidden identities didn't matter.

Once she reached the doorway to the study, it would definitely announce her presence to anyone lying in wait. Not that she thought there was anyone, mind you. But given that Anton was Mesogog and that this was Anton's house…she thought on edge, cautious.

She reached the door to the study and pushed it open, but did not find what she was expecting. A dark room with a creepy glowing invisiportal? Yes, that's what she'd been expecting, but that certainly wasn't what was in front of her now.

Anton Mercer lay face down on the floor of his study, sweat slicking back his hair, sticking his dress shirt to his skin. A smell similar to vomit surrounded him, and Kira had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop from gagging. Making a disgusted noise, she stepped into the room, cautiously hugging the wall as she back away from him, planning to go around the room. He was breathing, she could see, so he wasn't of much concern to her at the moment. He'd probably just changed back recently, since when he'd morphed to Mesogog and back at the school, he'd been sweaty and disgusting, similar to now.

But she'd only made it three steps when he shifted, and she caught a glint of something clutched in his right hand. It changed her entire plan as she rushed to his side, falling onto her knees, her hands plucking the phone from his grasp. "Hunter's phone!" she gasped, turning it over in her hands. A quick press of the buttons told her the battery had run its course and that's why it no longer struck voicemail. "But how…"

"Miss…Miss Ford?" Anton moved again, and it would've startled her on a normal day, but her adrenaline was on high, and she merely leaned down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor Mercer…?" She was unsure how to act, given that they'd only just discovered the previous day that he was Mesogog. It unnerved her. He seemed to sense this, and pushed away, using his desk to pull himself into a sitting position. "Um, are you alright?"

"It's alright, Kira. I know you're unsure what to think, but I am no longer one with that monster you saw me turn into yesterday. The one you kids have been fighting."

"What?" confused etched onto her features, and her heart pounded in her ears, begging her to ask about the phone.

"Mesogog…he separated us. He drank some formula that drugged me, allowing us to slip from one another's mental and biological grasp, becoming two separate entities," he stated, but chuckled once he saw an even bigger frown crease on her forehead. He thought better of the laugh, however, as pain erupted in his side and he coughed. "I'm sorry. To put it simply, Mesogog is rid of me, and I of him. We are different people now."

"That….That's good to hear," Kira admitted, truthful. "But…how did you escape? I'm assuming he didn't just let you walk away with everything you know."

"No…," he shook his head weakly, pointing towards the phone in her hand. "I'm sure you no doubt wish to ask me why I have that. That boy saved me."

"H-Hunter?" she asked, hating how her voice cracked. "Hunter he…Doctor Mercer, you have to tell me where…he was tailing Trent here and-"

"Elsa holds him captive in Mesogog's fortress, no doubt since he arrived through my invisiportal." He watched as she got to her feet, eyes scanning the room, clutching the phone tightly. "Now, Miss Ford, I know what you're thinking. But you're alone. You can't go rushing off all on-"

"My own?" she scoffed, though not unkindly. "Sorry, Doc, but I'm way ahead of you. Trent and the others are out fighting Mesogog's new monster without me. This one's a solo mission." She stepped towards the empty space in the room, feeling a wave of warmth coming from there when it shouldn't be.

"Miss Ford, please, think about this rationally and you'll-"

"I'm over thinking." She tossed him the phone, bringing up her Dino Bracelet, activating it. "Guys? It's me. Just thought you guys should know Mercer's out. He's home, and he's alone in his own head, Mesogog-free. Good luck. Oh, and don't-"

"Kira!" Anton yelled as she launched herself forward, activating the invisiportal and bathing the room in its light before both she and it vanished. Anton Mercer cursed aloud, knowing this certainly wasn't how he had planned a rescue for the boy to go.

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

Conner hit the pavement, hard, rejected from his own Triassic World by the monster looming over him, a low growl emanating from its chest. "Alright, so you're good," he spat, leaning on his elbows, ready to push himself up. He was never given the courtesy as the monster grabbed him by the neck, lifting him to a height that even he wasn't comfortable with, his feet no longer touching the ground. Its grip tightened, and the Triassic coloring on his uniform was basically squeezed out of him, beams of green, blue and white flying out and re-joining their respectful owners.

"Time to say goodbye, Red Ranger," it hissed, but he couldn't even do that, the grip so strong it kept him from speaking. It lasted only a second more before he was dropped rather unceremoniously onto the ground, the monster recoiling from a heavy slash in its side. Trent stood in its place, re-morphed, Drago Sword reaching out.

"Not anytime soon, he's not," Trent challenged, and from his place on the ground, rubbing his throat, Conner looked up.

"Trent saved Conner!" Kaylee clapped, grinning as the White Ranger activated his in-suit super-speed, rushing at the monster before it had fully recovered, slashing away. With every hit it fell further and further back, and Ethan and Kaylee were given the chance to re-morph as Trent beat it down.

"Do you think we can form the Z-Rex Blaster without Kira?" Conner asked, sounding worried. He was obviously taking her earlier words hard, and Kaylee assumed it's what had cost him a lost in the Triassic World.

"We'll have to try," the Green Ranger suggested, stepping forth with her Spino Whip. "Trent! We're going to need you to sub in again!"

The White Ranger turned, saw what they were planning and nodded, jumping back to join them. He offered up his Drago Sword, fitting it a little less snugly than desired into the place Kira's Ptera Grips normally occupied. "That's as good as it's getting," he said, propping the weapon up on one shoulder while Dr. O had the other.

"Z-Rex Blaster, Fire!" Conner called, and a thick beam of all their colors shot forth, hitting the monster who'd begun rushing them again in the chest. A massive eruption of sparks took place, and the beam broke out the other side. The monster wailed as it fell to its knees, doubling over and crashing to the ground, defeated.

"Alright!" the Rangers grinned, powering down as they high-fived one another. When Conner and Trent reached one another, they paused, hesitant.

"Come on, you big babies, admit it," Kaylee grinned, stepping between them, slinging her arms around them both rather awkwardly from her short stature. "We're an awesome team."

"Not complete, though," Conner reminded her, and her face fell.

"Fun-sucker," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"But Kaylee's right," he continued, offering his hand to Trent. "We're a team. You had our backs more than once in that battle. So, thank you. And stop looking at me like that, I promise I won't bend your arm backwards this time."

Grinning in relief, Trent grabbed his hand to shake it. But Conner locked his grip tightly, and Kaylee rolled her eyes, throwing her hands into the air. "Boys!"

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Conner asked, completely serious as he regarded the White Ranger. "I mean, there's a very real chance you'll have to face Mesogog one day."

"I know," Trent nodded slowly, sombre. "If Mesogog wins, my father's lost forever. Mesogog has to be defeated. No matter w-"

"_Guys? It's me._" All their Dino Gems had lit up, Kira's voice coming in over five com-links loud and clear. "_Just thought you guys should know Mercer's out. He's home, and he's alone in his own head, Mesogog-free. Good luck. Oh, and don't-Kira!-follow me."_

Eyes wide, the five Rangers exchanged glances. "What was…," Ethan began. "What the hell is she doing?"

"Something stupid. I knew letting her go was the wrong choice!" Conner cursed, slamming his fist into his opposite palm.

"This causes some complications," Dr. O stated, but it was Trent whose voice carried the most shock, his emotions practically palpable through his words.

"That…that was my father…she…she said he's free…"

"Shit, meet fan," Kaylee said, her hands slapping together. "The way my hand is going to meet my best friend's face when we find her."

* * *

xX-Broken-Trust-Xx

* * *

"With this device, Reefside will be transssfigured, united under my rule as people just like me, and after them, the rest of the world, turned prehistoric once more," Mesogog hissed, caressing the giant laser structure in front of him as the door slid open and Elsa walked into the room. She admired the machine for a moment before bowing to her master.

"You called, Master?"

"Yes. What do you think?" he asked, turning to face her, his eyes not leaving the laser.

"It's magnificent, my lord. But…will you be able to supply it with enough power?" she frowned, stepping closer to the beam, not noticing as Tyrannodrones that had been shadowed in the corner moved forward, arms outstretching.

"Once I get the Dino Gems I will. But to make sure…," he trailed off as the Tyrannodrones grabbed Elsa, who yelped in surprise, looking from them to her Master in confusion. "I'll ssstart with the power I've given you."

"What?" she exclaimed, flailing against the grip of the monsters. "No, my lord, please. Wait!" They dragged her over to a stone table, strapping her down as she struggled. "My lord, please. I haven't finished with the Yellow Ranger and the Thunder Ninja yet. Please, let me-"

"Your vendetta wasss without point, Elsa, and cost you too much time. You needn't worry," he grinned, his sharp teeth flashing in the light of the lab as he neared the machine. "I will deal with him after this. I'll missss you, Elsa. Truly, I will. But I will dispose of you both, and it will be like nothing ever happened. No trace." Horror washed over her face.

"Too late, trace was big enough for me to follow," a voice stated, and they looked to the door to see Kira Ford standing there, hands balled into fists.

"Kira," Mesogog smiled, pulling the lever down on the machine and ignoring the screams that escaped his now former accomplice as the energy was sucked out of her, slowly. As her screams died, he flipped the lever back up, took one look at the civilian Elsa lying, half-conscious, on the bed, and then turned back to his company. "So nice of you to join ussss."

"I'm sure," Kira spat, crossing her arms, not at all phased by the cold and heartless act she'd just witnessed. By his sick and monstrous smile, he liked that fact.

"Welcome back," he stepped forward, motioning to the table on which Elsa lay. "I take it you remember the lassst time you were here."

Her eyes flickered to the table, a glint of fear present for merely a second before she tilted her head, eyes narrowed. "You asked for this," she replied, holding up her wrist and showing off the yellow stone on her bracelet. He hissed greedily, stepping closer again. "I'm here for Hunter. I want you to let him go."

"And you're in a position to make demandsss, are you?" he cackled, shaking his head.

"He was here for her revenge," she pointed at the woman in the table. "And she's not about to exact it, he doesn't need to be here."

"But he makesss good leverage, doesn't he? I want your Dino Gem, you want the boy. We could-"

"Not happening. I need this to fight my way outta here," she denied. "I closed the invisiportal I came through. I'll have to find the next one."

"Clever girl, the other Rangers won't follow…," he stepped towards her once more, tongue slithering across his jagged teeth. "You know what your only option issss…" He eyed her Dino Gem greedily.

"Even if I give you mine, I heard what you were saying. You need them all," she stepped back, wary. In her head, she was running through just about a million scenarios on how this could play through safely for both herself and Hunter. Only one outcome kept coming up. But she wasn't going to like it-and neither were the others. "You want me to get them, don't you?"

"The gemsss for the Thunder Ninja," Mesogog nodded, wringing his hands together in anticipation.

"They'll never hand them over willingly," she said through gritted teeth as he reached out, lightly touching her Dino Bracelet, practically salivating. "And besides, what guarantee do I have that you'll let Hunter go?"

"What guarantee do I have that you will deliver on your promise?" Mesogog replied, turning away and stepping to his machine, his voice low. "Bring me the gemssss and he's yoursss."

She didn't like it, sure, but she was determined to find a way for this to work in her favour.

* * *

MUAHAHA-ahem. I mean, um, oh no! What's Kira thinking? Dun dun dun. Switching things up is fun, given that I'm very loosely following the episodes from here on out, and it's so very enjoyable. But Kaylee's right, shit's going to hit the fan soon and for better or for worse, things will turn out for these Rangers.

At least, you hope...

Look for the next chapter in a day or two.

_Death of the Dino, Part One_._  
_


	36. Death Of The Dino, Part 1

I said two days, but of course forgot that it would be my birthday, and thus, all thoughts of updating would fail me. Sorry, guys. Here's the next chapter now though. Only two more to go after this and DT's done once and for all!

Thank you again for your continued support through these last few installments.

Get ready for one hell of a chapter :) hehehe

* * *

**Death of the Dino, Part One**

"Well, Hayley's finished checking over Mercer. Seems he's really 100% reptile-free," Ethan stated, flopping into the seat across from Conner. "She should be back to run the show here soon," he added, looking around a buzzing Cyberspace currently manned by Kaylee. "Trent's looking after him so-"

"Ethe," Conner snapped, drawing the blue-clad boy to obviously foul mood. He sighed, shaking his head.

"Look, Conner, I know you're worried about her. We all are. But we're dealing. We gotta act like nothing's up, and Dr. O's monitoring portal activity all over Reefside. If something's up, he'll let us know. Be cool," Ethan explained, eyes falling on Kaylee as she waitressed tables nearby. "I mean, look at the best friend. She's still working away, keeping her head high, and they're practically symbiotically linked."

"I'm going to act like I know what you just said," Conner nodded slowly.

"Joined at the hip," Ethan chuckled.

"I just don't understand how the whole team can be so calm when our teammate is out there, and who knows if she's safe, in danger or worse."

"None of us are really that calm, dude. We're just focused on a distraction."

"What's yours?"

Ethan grinned proudly, pulling a piece of paper from his jean jacket pocket and flashing it at Conner. The soccer star reached for it, but Ethan pulled away, shaking his head. "No way, dude. This baby leads to my ticket. Isn't leaving my possession." A super-speed second later and Conner had it in his hands, examining it.

"_Receipt for purchase of tickets to Asteroid Conquest 2_?" he frowned. "What the heck is this?" Then, he noticed the date, and his eyes narrowed over the ticket at Ethan. "And why's it on prom night?"

"Because that's the movie's release date," Ethan replied, snatching his receipt paper back and stuffing it in his pocket. The moment he noticed the look on Conner's face, however, he regretted ever having mentioned his prize.

"You're going to the _movies_ instead of the biggest social event of the year?"

"Oh, look, you have your distraction!" Ethan grinned, sliding sideways out of his seat, attempting stealthily to evacuate the table.

"Sit," Conner baked, and reluctantly, the Blue Ranger did so. "Dude, it's the _PROM_. It's tradition!"

"Oh, yeah, nice tradition," Ethan rolled his eyes. "Smart kids spend the entire semester in agony wondering if they'll get a date, or if they'll be forced to stand in the corner with the other smart kids. It's too painful, bro."

"Well, why didn't you say something?" Conner grinned. "I can definitely help you there, my man!"

"Sorry, dude, but you're not having the best of luck in that department lately," Ethan replied, regretting as he saw the hurt flash across the Red Ranger's face. "Shit, I'm sorry, dude."

"It's fine. Maybe I was under the impression that with a little luck, I could convince her to go to the prom as friends. Now? Not a chance in hell," Conner sighed, crossing his arms on the table and resting his chin on them. "I'll find someone I guess. I never have trouble."

"Hey, um, Conner?" They looked up to see Devin standing there, balancing on the balls of his feet, looking nervous. "Can I borrow you a minute? It's a-" he leaned down, dropping his voice to a whisper, "prom date question."

Ethan couldn't help hide the smirk on his face as Conner's misery became more evident. "Um, I'm kind having a rough day, dude. Think you can wait?"

"It's pretty important," Devin urged, eyes practically bulging out of his head in his plea. Sighing, Conner pushed himself up, nodding. "Sweet!"

"Have fun!" Ethan called, standing up from his seat as Devin dragged Conner away to speak in private. "Alright, now's my chance to make that line!" He waved as he passed waitress Kaylee, pushing through the red doors and out of Cyberspace. He pulled to a halt, nearly smashing to the two people on the other side.

"Whoa, careful there, dude," Dustin smiled, slapping him on the shoulder as he and Hayley sidestepped the boy in blue. "You okay?"

"Going to pick up my ticket for Asteroid Conquest 2," he beamed, patting the jacket pocket that concealed his receipt. The Earth Ninja's eyes widened.

"Lucky! At the Reefside Theatre, right?" Dustin questioned, and Ethan nodded. "Better hurry quick then, man, I passed it on my way here. The line's getting pretty fierce."

"Shoot, thanks, Dustin," he turned to take off, but hesitated, looking from Hayley to the Earth Ninja. "Um, look, Kaylee's going to be a little off. She'll be worried about-"

"He knows. I debriefed him in the parking lot," Hayley smiled sweetly, and Ethan nodded, relieved. He thanked her before taking off. "Good luck with that line!"

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

"So, I've got this little problem," Devin began, wringing his hands together, nervous. "It's female-related, for the prom, like I said."

"You need a date," Conner nodded, looking bored. "I can arrange something with one of the girls from-"

"No, no, see," Devin chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. "I want to ask C…um, well, there's someone specific that I've got in mind." Conner shot him a suspicious look, and Devin prayed he hadn't caught the almost-slip. "I was hoping you could help me go the right way about it."

"Okay," Conner shrugged. "Here's what I would…" he trailed off when he noticed Dustin walk in with Hayley, offering him a wave seconds before a streak of green and blonde jumped him.

"Conner?" Devin frowned, waving a hand in front of his face, drawing his attention back.

"Right, sorry," he shook his head, coming back to the conversation at hand. "Here's what I would do."

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

"Dustin!" Kaylee exclaimed, leaping into the air, her arms looping around her boyfriend's neck as his arms automatically moved back to hold her legs in piggy-back fashion out of instinct. "You're here!"

"Good to see you too, Kayl-Whale," he chuckled, swinging her to the ground in front of him and dropping a light kiss on her lips. "Can I borrow her for a few, Hayley?" He looked up at the café owner who smiled, taking the order pad from Kaylee and the plate of empty glasses she'd left on the table beside her before jumping him. Dustin grinned, taking his girlfriend's hand and leading her past the red Cyberspace doors and to the outside, where he could safely ninja-streak them to a secluded park bench.

"Now that I mind or anything, but why?" Kaylee giggled, twirling, still holding his hand, motioning to the trees around them. Calmly, Dustin pulled her to the bench, sitting down. Her giggling ceased once she saw the look on his face. "What's up?"

"Leanne's worried, as you can probably guess. She hasn't alerted the students, since Hunter's still on his weekend off, of course, but she will, soon. She called Blake and told him. He was pretty pissed."

"He does that," Kaylee shrugged. "How's Lea holding up?"

"Well enough. She says you have the Thunder Academy behind you if you need it, and Sensei said the Wind Academy too, of course," Dustin squeezed her hand, meeting her eyes. "But the important question to me is, how are _you_ holding up?"

"About Hunter?" she giggled. "Over that one, remember, Dustin?"

"I meant Kira, Kayl." She shifted her gaze, looking down at their joined hands, her long blonde hair shadowing her face from his view.

"Fine. She can take care of herself. What makes you think otherwise?"

"The fact that when Hayley and I walked in, the glasses on that tray you were holding were shaking," he explained. "Kind of like you are now." Kaylee pulled away, and although to the untrained it would've gone unnoticed, he heard the very faint, very tiny sniffle she let loose. "Kayl…?"

"She's going to get herself killed!" Kaylee yelled, slapping her hand against the bench. "I get that she's going after Hunter, and that she's worried, but this isn't how she should be handling it! It's dangerous, suicidal, just rushing off through that invisiportal to freaking Mesogog's Fortress! She should've waited for us. We should've gone as a team. She could be captured, or tortured, or dead, or I don't know what and I-"

"Shh," Dustin cooed, sliding across the bench towards his girlfriend, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"She's my best friend, Dustin," Kaylee looked up at him, tears now freely falling along with her defensive wall in the comfort of her boyfriend's company. "She's practically a sister. I can't lose her."

"I know," he breathed, holding her close, letting her relieve her fears. "I know, Kayl-Whale."

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

Conner spun on the stool, bored out of his mind of all this waiting, trying desperately to focus on anything but his urge to run off and hunt down an invisiportal. "I'm sure practicing soccer would be a good outlet for your frustration, Conner," Hayley's voice floated to his ears, and he spun to see her standing behind the counter, smiling. He shrugged.

"I don't know, Hayley, I'm just not really in the mood."

"Suit yourself," she said, before a ringing caught her attention. She frowned, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cellphone. "Odd, when I'm at work, everyone just calls the café one… Hello?" As Conner spun away to give her privacy, he never noticed her eyes widen in shock, nor did he see her sneak off into the back, with haste.

Instead, he caught a glimpse of bright orange enter Cyberspace and stopped spinning to watch Devin look around, flowers in one hand, chocolates in the other. Beneath the simple grey suit jacket he wore his dress shirt beamed bright orange, hurting the eyes if directly looked at. His hair was lightly gelled, and aside from the dorky grin he wore, Conner figured he'd made good work of the short time he'd been gone.

To distract himself, Conner scanned the patrons of Cyberspace, wondering if he could guess which girl Devin was planning to ask. She was obviously here, judging by his get-up. Maybe it was Macey Andrews, over by the computers. If Conner remembered, she was one of those Mathletes, and was kind of Devin's type, he thought. Or maybe Alicia Hill, sitting at the couches with her fellow chess team friends, glasses falling to the tip of her nose. They had stuff in common, right?

But nothing prepared him for where Devin headed-straight to Cassidy Cornell. "No way…," Conner breathed. He followed her around all day like a dog. She treated him like crap. And yet, despite those facts, there Devin was, walking towards Cassidy with those flowers, those chocolates, and that dorky grin. He thought about stopping the poor soul, but thought better of it. He'd rather watch the explosion.

"Hello, Cassidy," he grinned, reaching her table, beaming. She looked up from her notes, speaking in a rushed, ushering him into the seat across from her.

"I'm glad you're here, Dev. I just met with Mr. Cormier at the news station and…," she paused, looking at the flowers and chocolate he'd plopped onto the table. "What are you doing with all that stuff?"

"Well, it's funny you should ask, because I kinda want to talk to you about something and-"

"Okay, but me first," she cut him off, and over by the counter, where Conner had moved into earshot, he cringed. "We have to find the identity of the Power Rangers, and like, fast." The soccer star's eyes widened.

"It's kind of old news," Devin waved off, reaching for the flowers.

"By the end of the week or we're fired!"

"Fired?"

"Fired."

"Hmm, that's not good."

"No, it's not good at all. So, no clubs, no activities, no rest until we succeed."

"Wait, wait, wait," Devin looked up, eyes widen, face horrified. "What about the prom?"

"Definitely no prom until we find out who they are. Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she smiled sweetly, but there was no point, she'd just torn his hope into a million tiny pieces and he knew it.

"No, no, it's nothing," he said, glancing at his watch and getting up, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a piece of paper. Conner immediately recognized the emblem that he spotted when Devin opened the paper, grinning sadly. He'd seen it on the paper Ethan had shown him. "I gotta jet, but I'll see you later, okay, Cass?"

"What? But…Devin! Hey! Hold on a minute! What about the Power Rangers?"

The bracelet on Conner's wrist went off just then, and as he ducked around the counter and into the empty bathroom to answer, he chuckled at the irony. "This is Conner."

"_Activity on one of the invisiportals down in the warehouse district. The energy flow was pretty big. I'm not saying it's what we've been looking for, but we need to check it out. I'm radioing the others."_

"I'll meet you there."

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

"Can I look at it when you're done?" a voice broke Ethan's concentration, and he looked up from his book to see a pretty blonde in line ahead of him, pointing at his book. He grinned, stammering nervously as he began to speak.

"Y-you can look at it n-now." He handed it to her, cursing how stupid he sounded. "I've read it a hundred and twenty times." _Way to sound cool, Ethe…_

"A hundred and twenty-three for me!" she grinned, accepted the book and flipping it open with wide eyes. "My friends think I'm nuts."

"Mine can't understand why I'd rather got to a movie than the prom," Ethan stepped closer, all nervousness gone following her admission to common ground.

"Mine say the exact same thing," she chuckled, shaking her head as she scanned a page of the book. She looked up, tilting her head. "Are you, um, picking up a ticket just for you, or… because, well, we could always-" His Dino Bracelet chose the most horrible time to go off, cutting her mid-sentence.

"I can't believe this," he groaned, stopping the noise before it continued. She frowned.

"Is that part of your costume?"

"No, it's…it's kinda like a beeper," Ethan lied, feeling guilty. He'd been doing really well, too. "My, uh, my mom's a little over-protective." _Right now Dr. O's has __**worse**__ timing than my mom._

"You're not…leaving, are you?" She looked crestfallen.

"I have to," he apologized, taking a step back.

"You want me to save your place?" she perked up, hopeful. He grinned back at her, nodding emphatically. The guy behind him pushed forward, glaring at the two from his tall stature.

"There are no saving places!" he exclaimed, and she raised a challenging brow.

"You really wanna go there with me?" He took a step back, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She beamed at Ethan. "Go, it'll be fine."

"Thank you, you're great." He turned away, ducking under the divider keeping the line straight and took the nearest set of stairs, two at a time. He made it to the top, glanced around, and, coast clear, activated his bracelet. "You've reached Ethan, Dr. O."

"_My scanning picked up activity from an invisiportal in the warehouse district_."

"You think it's Kira?"

"_Pretty big, so if it's her, she's not alone_."

"On my way," he sighed, shutting it off and, after taking one last look around, running off. He never noticed the figure who'd thrown himself into the shadow of the nearby cement post in an effort to avoid a run-in with the blue-clad teen. And it had been a good thing, too, because what kind of device what Ethan talked into? Devin thought it looked like a totally cool spy watch. And he'd mentioned Kira, and had been talking to Dr. O. This was just weird. Grabbing his camera from the ground where he'd dropped it, he followed.

"Maybe it was a good thing I was late to the line," he told himself.

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

"There's nothing here!" Conner exclaimed, exasperated, throwing his red-spandex-clad arms into the arm. He'd gotten morphed and rushed over here for no reason, and he was going to let it be known. "This was stupid."

"You can't deny the readings I got from the lab, Conner," Dr. O pointed out, but still, the young leader shook his head. "Something came through."

"Whatever it is…it's long gone, Dr. O," Ethan shrugged sadly.

"Look out!" Kaylee yelled, Spino Whip appearing in her grasp in an instant. A moment later it was whistling through the air, wrapping around the throat of the Tyrannodrone that had launched itself off a bunker at Ethan and was dragging it to the ground.

"Thanks," Ethan grimaced, watching the Tyrannodrone struggling against the green whip only a moment before it went still. But a growl rang out in the air, several of them all at once, and suddenly, they were all on alert, weapons summoned to their hands as a wave of the monsters descended from all directions at them.

Staffs swung into the guts of the creatures. Kaylee's whip cracked at them, strangling. Ethan's Shield pushed them back, bashing them in the head. But still the beaten Tyrannodrones pushed on, trying to drive the Rangers off their feet.

"I think they're trying to herd us towards the water!" Conner cried, looking over his shoulder.

"I vote we stop taking fights at places surrounded by water!" Kaylee exclaimed. "I'm getting tired of being pushed off docks!"

"We live in Reefside, good luck with that!" Trent's voice reached them, and they looked up to see him standing on a stack of boxes, his Drago Sword swung over his shoulder.

"Thanks for that insight, dude," Conner rolled his eyes beneath his mask. "Help would be nicer, though."

"Coming right up," Trent nodded, waving his hand in front of him and summoning a whole brigade of energy arrows. "Ready?"

"Ready!" they replied, and he unleashed the barrage, each hitting weak spots in the Tyrannodrones' backs. They'd practiced this take-out technique many times in battle after they'd accidentally discovered its efficiency, and so the other Rangers were ready to attack from the front with their weapons when the Tyrannodrones reeled back, affected by those arrows. The whole wave fell in face of the Rangers.

"Alright!" Ethan cheered, high-fiving Trent as he jumped down from the boxes. "Go team!"

"That was good work, everyone," Dr. O nodded. "Power down."

"Not the same without Kira," Kaylee stated, ruining the moment as they complied. She looked over the water at the setting sun. "I'm going to look tomorrow. No offense, Dr. O, but I can't sit around and wait for your scans anymore. If anyone else agrees, I'll let you know when I head out."

_**ZWOP!**_

"What's gotten into her?" Ethan frowned, but the others merely shrugged. Sombre, the four boys walked away.

Taking cover behind the very boxes Trent had launched his aerial assault from was a shaking Devin Del Valle, closing the lens on his video camera, mouth wide open in disbelief at everything he'd just witnessed. Conner, Ethan, Trent and Kaylee-and they'd mentioned Kira too, which made sense, given that the Yellow Ranger was missing…kids from his very own school, some he'd grown up with. The five of them, from completely different worlds, who'd started hanging out together at school for seemingly no reason… Them, and their high school science teacher, Doctor Oliver… _They_ were the Power Rangers? This was…

"Whoa," he breathed, in awe. "I don't even know what this is."

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

_**

* * *

ZWOP!**_

"I'm back!" Kaylee called, standing in the front entrance to her and Tori's place. Although the latter was still at the Wind Academy for the weekend, she'd left Dustin watching a movie when her bracelet had gone off. She took off her shoes, kicking them into the front hall closet before moving inside, unzipping her green hoodie and slipping it off as she walked in. "It was totally pointless. Just a bunch of stupid Tyrannodrones who'd I bet were lost. Dr. O was wasting our time. How's the movie?"

But Dustin sat there and didn't answer her, his smile awkward. Kaylee noticed the movie wasn't playing anymore, and the TV was in fact off. So were half the lights in the house, for that matter. The hair on the back of her neck rose at the eerie quiet of the house, and the tension she could almost reach out and touch. What was going on?

A light cough brought her attention to a shadowed corner of the living room, and she noticed a figure sitting on the small table there, legs crossed. Clearly female, from the silhouette, and she frowned. "Tori, you come home early?"

"Close," the figure replied, and Kaylee's eyes went wide. She dropped the hoodie from her hand, taking a step forward. "Don't. I think you should take a seat… we need to talk."

Kaylee swallowed the lump in her throat, uneasy.

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

"So…was it them?" Anton asked his son as Trent placed a newly dampened cloth on his father's forehead. Although Hayley had checked him as 100% Mesogog-free, he was still suffering from side-effects of the formula that had separated them, such as a running fever and more, so she had ordered him bed-ridden for the next few days. Trent, of course, was taking good care of him, and Hayley promised to make frequent visits, given that she was the only medical aid they could afford right now, since taking him to the hospital would raise far too many questions they didn't want to have to answer.

"No," Trent shook his head sadly. "No Kira or Hunter. Just a bunch of Tyrannodrones."

"I was afraid it would be a disappointment," Anton sighed. "Tommy was right… The energy levels were too high…"

"Wishful thinking, right? I just…I just hope Kira and Hunter are okay," Trent shrugged, looking up at his dad. His eyes were beginning to close again. Trent removed the damp cloth, folding it up and putting it on his bedside table. "You should get some rest. I'll be in the other room if you need me."

"Whatever…happened to…you two…Trent…," Anton mumbled, giving into the pull of sleep, his eyes closing.

"I don't know, dad," Trent shook his head, smiling. Within moments, the guy would be snoring.

"I do," a voice spoke from behind him, and Trent froze. "People change. Without a spark, they move on. Too bad though, because we were pretty compatible, y'know?" Slowly, he turned to see Kira standing in the doorway, arms crossed, leaning in the doorjamb with a smirk.

"Kira?" he asked, mouth wide.

"Trent," she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. It took him only a second to notice the difference in her stride, now more aggressive and confident, the way she carried herself, now with head up, and the entire lack of yellow in her attire, and he swore under his breath.

"Please be mind control, please be mind control, please be mind control," he looked up, fingers crossed as she stepped towards him.

"'Fraid not," she laughed. "People change, yeah?"

"Not like this," he shook his head, stepping away from her.

"There goes that tactic," she sighed, dropping the smile. "Guess I'll save it for Conner."

"What are you doing?"

"What I have to."

"This isn't how you should be saving him, Kira. Not like this."

"You'd do the same," she replied, before tilting her head, smiling. "We're all making sacrifices for the ones we care about lately, hmm?"

"There's an easier way about this, Kira."

"Yeah, you give me your gem, and I don't knock you cold." He adopted an offensive stance, shaky, and she shook her head, disappointed, still moving towards him. "You don't even want to fight me, Trent. Why bother?"

"I'm not letting you give into that madman. I did, and it wasn't fun."

"You gave into the _gem_, Trent. Unwillingly. There's a whole world of difference here." He looked down at her, fists still clenched and just inches from her face at the closeness she was standing. She winked, and he faltered, taken aback by the action. It was all she needed. Her fist collided with his jaw, solid and demanding, and he crumpled to the ground, down and out. She shook her hand, wiggling her fingers.

"_Ow_! Dammit. That's not going to work more than once, or my pic hand will be ruined at the end of this." She leaned down and detached the White Dino Gem from the bracelet, watching as the brightness faded until it looked like nothing more than a hunk of metal, bracketed to his arm like a handcuff. "Sorry, Trent." She clipped his gem to the thick belt at her waist, fitting it into the empty slot next to the green one before exiting the room.

"Mmmm…," Anton mumbled, stirring as he turned in his bed, his eyes fluttering open. They adjusted to the darkness in his room and he frowned. He could've sworn he'd heard voices. He scanned the room, and decided maybe he should take a look. He was supposed to call Trent if there was anything, but, he didn't want to bother the boy. He was so exhausted. He didn't need more stress.

He swung his legs out of bed, and hit the bedside table sooner than he'd expected, swearing as the damp washcloth fell. He reached out to catch it, but his fingers never quite got the order to close around it as he spotted his son lying there, a welt already forming on his cheek. "Trent! Oh, God, Trent!"

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

Ethan typed away, the grin on his face getting brighter and brighter as his current IM conversation went along. For the past three months, in his anticipation for the release of Asteroid Conquest 2, he'd signed up on an online forum for the fans of the movie, hoping to find others from Reefside who would be attending the midnight showing in an effort to make a group thing out of it. He was a fan of the series, sure, but he wasn't a fan of viewing a movie, no matter how nerdtastic, all on his lonesome. Ethan before the Ranger business, sure. Ethan now? No way. He had the others to thank for that.

But the first two months his efforts in the forum's chatrooms had been unsuccessful, because most were already going as a group with their friends to see it. A month ago, however, he'd met _AsteroidConquestFan#A_, supposedly a girl his age living on the outskirts of Reefside who shared many of the same interests as him. Her name was Angela, a fact he'd discovered when he'd politely pointed out that A was in fact a letter, not a number, something which she obviously knew. They'd begun to chat, but despite Ethan's repeated pointing out that they would be seeing the movie alone, and that they should go together, she'd never caught on and agreed to go with him, reinforcing the fact that she never made plans with guys she met online thanks to some pretty bad experiences.

Who knew she'd remember that he'd mentioned he was going to bring _The history of the Asteroid Conquest Series_ to wait in line with, having read it a hundred and twenty times. Who knew she'd be waiting in line, trying to spot anyone with the book and find out how many times they'd read it.

Who knew it had been Angela standing in line in front of him today.

When he'd returned to the line, which was no longer a line, but a guy closing the box office, he'd no only felt so bad about leaving her after she'd offered to save his spot, but that he'd lost any chance he had at seeing the movie, given that his ticket receipt had been his bookmark. The guy had told him it was closed, but Ethan had begged, explaining his whole situation, which had seemed to spark something in the box office attendant.

He asked his name, and when Ethan had answered, the box office attendant had reached behind the counter and grabbed his book, opening it to reveal a note and his ticket, picked up and ready to go. He'd said a blonde girl had showed up with both receipts, and asked that he place one, with her note, in the book, and hand it to Ethan James when he arrived.

Looking down at the scribbled words on the piece of paper next to his computer, Ethan grinned, happily chatting away with Angela on the forum's IM chatroom. He was so engrossed making plans with the girl that he didn't notice a hand pick up the note from his desk and bring it closer for the hand's owner to read.

"_Dear BlueAsteroidRanger, sorry you couldn't make it back on time. I read the whole thing while you were gone. Now I'm at one hundred and twenty-four! Let's make plans for the premiere, AsteroidConquestFan#A_." Kira 'hmm-ed', sounding impressed. "Wow, _BlueAsteroidRanger_, didn't know you had it in you."

Frozen mid-sentence, Ethan looked up, wide eyed. "Yes, I am indeed standing here, in your sanctuary," she dismissed his look, motioning to the room as she dropped the note, walking around, poking stuff. "Not too shabby. I actually kind of expected more action figures and video game consoles, no offence." She turned to face him, smiling. "Close your mouth, Ethe, it's impolite. Besides, I already got enough from Trent."

"You…You saw Trent?"

"Yep." She took a seat on his bed, crossing her legs to make sure she shielded the white and green gems on her belt from his view. She was kind of hoping she could get through this one without having to hit her friend. "So, who's _AsteroidConquestFan#A_? I'm assuming it's a girl… please tell me it's a girl."

"What the heck are you doing here?" he exclaimed, then heard movement from down the hall and quieted down, standing up from his computer chair to get close enough to whisper. "You…you just run off without a word, running into danger after Hunter, not contacting us, telling us not to follow you. We wonder where you are, if you're safe, worried sick, and yet you show up here like none of that happened? Like everything's okay?"

"Everything _is_ okay, Ethe," she smiled, calculating the distance between them, praying that the stuff she'd found in Mercer's warehouse when hiding from the others as they took on the Tyrannodrones that had followed as a distraction worked. "Or, at least, it's going to be."

"What are you talking about, Kira?"

"This." She leapt forward; pulling the spray can from a small pack on her hip and pushing on the trigger. Mist sprayed forth into the Blue Ranger's face, and within a second or two, he lost consciousness, falling forward against the Yellow Ranger's shoulder. "Kaylee'd be jealous of my ninja skills if they weren't being used for eeeeevil," Kira did her best imaginative Kaylee impression as she dragged Ethan towards his bed, supporting his whole weight against her before flopping him onto his mattress. "Jeez, Ethe, you gotta cut down on the late night forum snacking. You're getting a little heavy." She pulled the Blue Gem loose from his bracelet, securing it to her belt with the others before walking out.

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

Dr. O was tired. He'd been here most of the day and into the evening, trying to work out a way to track down Kira, get into the fortress, and get out safely. So far he'd come up short, with no answers, a lot of time wasted, and an irritated team. He wanted to tell them everything was going to work out in the end, he really did, but if he couldn't even convince himself of that fact, how could he say it to them?

One of the screens to his left, which was currently off and unused, caught his attention with movement in its reflection and he looked over. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he thought he might be hallucinating due to all the work, so he rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, however, the reflection of the Yellow Ranger was still there, arms crossed, leaning against one of the posts in the lab behind him. And she did not look like herself.

He sat up straight, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going to ask you if you're alright, or why you didn't contact us to tell us you were back," he spun on the computer chair to face the rocker, who offered him a smirk. "I'm just going to assume you're not entirely yourself."

"Sorry to crush your hopes, Dr. O," she smiled, pushing off the post and starting towards him, "but no mind-control or anything. Trent already tried that one."

It was her movement under one of the dimly lit lamps that caused the three gems at her waist to flash, and Tommy's heart sunk. "No..." He stood up, clenching his fists. "What did you do to them?"

She pulled a can from her hip-pack; the very same one she'd used at Ethan's and tossed it to her science teacher. He caught it, examining the label, finding the Mercer Industries logo, as well as the contents. "Knock-Out Spray?"

"Ethan's safe and comfy in his bed. Trent, however, I couldn't say the same for. He fought back," she shrugged, shaking the hand she'd used to punch him. It was still sore.

"Why are you doing this?"

She scoffed. "Saving a life, Dr. O, duh." She held up a hand as he went to reply. "And don't act all holier-than-thou, because I remember those tapes we watched when you went missing. I know the general idea of your Ranger past. You're not perfect either."

"What does Mesogog want the gems for?"

"A surprise," she grinned, playing with one of the machines on his tables. "He needs them to power up this shiny new machine he's got. Supposed to turn us all into his kind, or something."

"Have you heard yourself?" Dr. O yelled, his patience thinning. "You're talking about turning the human race over to that monster! You're talking about dooming us all! And you're so incredibly nonchalant! What has he done to you, Kira, tell me, please, because this isn't you. This isn't the only choice."

"Yes, it is," she looked up at him, and he noticed the sadness and pain in her eyes. "He won't let Hunter go otherwise, and if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been captured. I'm sorry, but this _is_ my only choice." By now, she'd gotten closer to her teacher, who'd let his defenses down when seeing her eyes, knowing that she wasn't liking any bit of this. "Do you trust me, Dr. O?" she whispered, and although he knew very well this could be a trap, he also knew his students. Those Dino Gems had picked them, had chosen them for the good they could do, for their ability to save people, and he had to have faith that perhaps she was indeed doing the right thing. That perhaps she knew something none of them did. "I'm getting your gem whether you like it or not."

"I can't let you do this," he cleared his throat, trying to sound angry again. But something was prickling the back of his mind, telling him he was right, telling him to trust her. So he took a very half-hearted punch at her, launching himself at the petite girl.

Nimbly, she sidestepped him, pulling another can of spray from her hip-pack and pushing the trigger as he went by, hitting him as directly in the face as she could. When he fell, he didn't get up. She grinned. "And that makes four," she whistled, reaching down and plucking the black gem from his bracelet. "This is getting easier and easier."

But as she fastened the black gem to its place on her belt, and exited the lab, her heart was pounding in her ears, knowing that where she was headed next was perhaps the least easy of them all. Both on the boy she was going to steal from, and herself.

* * *

xX-Death-Of-The-Dino-Xx

* * *

Conner was snoring when she slipped into his room quietly, spotting him at his desk, asleep over a stack of papers and two computer screens-worth of notes. As she tiptoed over, slowly perching herself on his desk, her heart soared-he usually slept like a rock. She smiled. Maybe this would be the easiest of them all. Maybe she wouldn't have to lie to Conner, even though he'd lied to her about Hunter. Maybe she wouldn't have to fake it.

But just as soon as her fingers touched his gem, he shot up, nearly knocking her off his desk. As his eyes focused in the dark, he nearly shot off his chair and onto the ground when he spotted her. She quickly dropped an arm over her waist to hide the gems, keeping her smile plastered on her face as he stared at her, mouth open. She noticed that his eyes roamed, looking her up and down, from the black laced-up boots, to her black leggings, and finally, to her tight black shirt. She was thankful for the darkness, because he was actually causing her to blush. "Kira?"

"Hi, Con," she breathed, and his eyes lifted to meet hers.

"What are you doing here?"

"I, um…," she thought quickly, needing to play this one just right. "I came to apologize. I…I was scared, when you told me about Hunter, and…and I said something things I shouldn't have. I overreacted, and…I'm sorry. I don't… I don't hate you." _I knew this wouldn't be the easiest_, she thought, trying to ignore the way her whole chest ached as she spoke. She had to be strong, had to keep her tears at bay.

If Mesogog was watching as he said he would be, she could get away with words, since he couldn't hear, but she had to portray the heartless traitor her friends had seen. She had to show them all that lie, for all their sakes. To mask it, she threw herself into the role, leaning forward to smile at the Red Ranger. "I realized you were right; you were only trying to protect me. It's okay."

"I…," he reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes, blinking at the darkness surrounding them. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the papers and computer in front of him, and his shoulders seemed to sink. "I'm dreaming, aren't I? I fell asleep doing my research, and now I'm in a dream... that's the only thing that explains the hot tomb-raider look… man, not again," he sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I wish I hadn't fallen asleep… I hate having these dreams, they're so unfair."

_He dreamed about her? Like this? __**Often?**_ Kira thanked the darkness a million times over for covering her now completely evident red cheeks. It should unnerve her that the guy was apparently dreaming about her, and she could only assume where those dreams led. But she remembered her task at hand, and although it hurt so much more, she could use this to her advantage, even if she was going to hate herself for it. "Conner," she called, and he looked up at her smile again, relaxing. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

She leaned down, quickly closing the gap between them and crashing her lips onto his.

She hated the way her heart soared.

She hated the way his hands came up to her hips.

She hated the way she let him pull her onto his lap.

And as she brought her left hand up to the clasp the back of his neck in order to keep him there as her other hand silently removed the gem from his bracelet, she _hated_ the way she didn't want to leave.

Her right hand dropped the Red Dino Gem into her hip-pack, exchanging it for her last spray can. She brought up the can as she pulled away from him, turning her head to avoid the mist as she pushed the trigger. When his hands dropped from her sides, she knew it was over. She detached herself from the Red Ranger, slipping off his lap to stand. She stared at her unconscious friend, at the can in her hand, and flashed back to how very comfortable she'd been.

In anger, she threw the can into his garbage bin, struggling with the sob now caught in her throat. She looked back at Conner, how peaceful he was, smile on his face, and a tear broke past her defenses, rolling down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Conner…"

She turned away and fled his room, knowing that if she stayed a minute more, the dam of tears would break and everything would be ruined. She ran down his stairs, out the front of door, and into the darkness, running away from her problems, running away from her fear, running away from everything and back into the hands of this whole mess she'd placed herself in, knowing that when he woke up, _he_ would be the one to hate _her_.

* * *

Before you say it, yes, I know, I'm evil. I'm torturing poor Conner yet again, and making Kira a real bitch. But all is not what it seems, my friends, I assure you there are bigger and better things at work here. For all you Kironner fans, stick with me, good news is coming your way other than this instance between them here.

Stay tuned for the next step in this epic conclusion. _Death of the Dino, Part Two_.

Brownie points to whomever figures out the real truth behind what's going on. And no, you can't ask Lily for the answer lol


	37. Death Of The Dino, Part 2

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and extra thanks to those who sent me birthday wishes, those were unexpected and really sweet of you guys :)

I'm glad you're not all hating on Kira and are understanding where she's coming from, it means I got it across as well as I'd hoped-her desperation, her commitment, and her desire to help. I had a few inquiries as to why her scene with Kaylee was never shown like with the guys, and, well, since I did say something bigger and better was behind all of this, read on to figure out just what the hell went on last chapter.

Trust me ladies and gents, I don't disappoint :)

Here goes _Death of the Dino, Part Two_.

**

* * *

Death Of The Dino, Part Two**

_I will be, all that you want, and get myself together  
Cause you keep me from falling apart  
All my life, I'll be with your forever  
To get you through the day, and make everything okay…._

Conner's eyes fluttered open, and he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light in his room in his groggy state. He frowned. He could hear music, but couldn't quite discern where it was coming from.

_I thought I had everything, I didn't know what life could bring  
But now I see, honestly, you're the one thing I got right  
The only one I let inside, now I can breathe cause you're here with me…_

He recognized that voice-it was Kira's. Coming to his senses, he looked around frantically, suddenly realizing that song was his ringtone. He found his phone amongst the papers on his desk-which, he realized, he was sitting in front of. Clearly, he'd fallen asleep at his work last night. He pushed the answer button on his phone, bringing it to his ear. "Kira?"

"_Close, but no cigar, Jockboy. Kaylee,"_ the Green Ranger's voice floated to him over the line, and his shoulders sagged. _"You forgot you changed the ringtone to every caller again, didn't you?_"

"Shut up, Kaylee," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's up?"

"_Have you, um, have you seen Kira? Recently? Like, last night?_"

His mind suddenly flashed back to last night, how he'd been working his butt off on Hayley's research involving Mesogog's invisiportal network and the new vehicle she was constructing. Then he saw Kira, sitting on his desk, wearing that outfit, leaning forward to kiss him and had to screw his eyes shut and think of something to stop his mind from replaying the rest of his dream. _Damn you, imagination_. He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "I may have, um, dreamt about her. Funny, huh? I fell asleep over my research and stuff. Why do you ask? And why are you using our cell phones instead of-"

"_Conner, you weren't dreaming. And judging by my phone calls to the others, she visited you last_."

"What?" he shot forward in his seat, sitting straight up. "What are you talking about, Kayl?"

"_Look at your wrist, tool. Anything missing?_"

He complied, and brought up his left wrist to take a look-and nearly dropped his phone. "M-m-my Dino Gem is missing!" Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he grinned, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "Holy shit, Kayl, I wasn't dreaming."

"_Only you could be happy at a time like this. And I'm sure I know why…"_

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"Where's Kaylee?" Ethan asked, walking into the Dino Lab to be faced with the other guys and Hayley, but not the girl who had called this meeting.

"She'll be here soon," Hayley said, not turning away from her computer screens to look at him. He took a seat with the rest of the guys, making a half circle at the base of the steps.

"So, how'd she do you in?" Trent asked, and Ethan suddenly looked like he wanted to be crawled into a corner.

"Um, just…just knock-out spray," he sighed, and Trent and Conner attempted not to laugh. "Yeah, I know, laugh at the little guy who didn't fight back."

"Not like you're the only one, bud," Conner shrugged, looking rather relaxed, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head. A lazy smile wove across his lips.

"I'm sure you did your best, Ethan," Dr. O reached over to pat him on the back, and it brought a slight smile back to the Blue Ranger's lips.

"So…that's it, then? She got _all_ the gems?" Trent shook his head. "She fooled all of you?"

"Don't act like you're so special, dude, you fell first," Conner chuckled, grin stretching from ear to ear as he leaned back further into his chair. Beside him, Ethan's brow curved into a frown and he reached over, thumping the Red Ranger in the shoulder hard enough to send him onto the floor. "What the hell, Ethe!"

"I don't understand why you're not freaking out about this like the rest of us," Ethan glowered. "Kira, _our Kira_, knocked all of us, stole our gems, and bought them back to the very freak we've been fighting for months now! Instead you're sitting there, grinning your ass off, focusing on…" He paused, his angry frown switching to a confused one. "On what, exactly?"

"She kissed me," Conner winked at the Blue Ranger, pulling himself back onto his chair. "Kira _kissed_ me. More than that, in fact. She basically made out with me, sitting right here." He tapped his lap. "Tell me that doesn't mean something." His grin never faded as Ethan rolled his eyes, and both Dr. O and Trent face-palmed. But it was Kaylee's voice that managed to make that grin disappear, smacking him across the face with reality as she descended the stairs into the lab.

"She was lying, McKnight. Playing you to get what she wanted. Grow up." The boys' collective jaws dropped as she stepped into the lighting of the Dino lab, revealing her entirely black attire. What looked like black combat boots, black jeans, a thick black belt complete with the same hip-pack Kira had been wearing, and a long-sleeve black shirt adorned the petite girl, the only source of her assigned color being the green streak barely visible in her ponytail. Memories from his "dream" flooded back to Conner, who had to screw his eyes shut in an attempt to chase them away. Bad imagination, bad.

"What…what are you wearing?" Ethan spoke first.

"Something perfect for a break-in," she responded, none of her usual bubbly energy contained in her voice. The Dino Rangers exchanged glances, looking confused, while behind her, Dustin, wearing his Earth Sensei uniform, came into the Dino Lab, grinning sheepishly. "Or a break-out, depending on how you look at it."

"What are you talking about, Kaylee?" Conner frowned.

"That's Commander Kaylee to you," she grinned, hands on her hips, managing to look intimidating from her small stature as she regarded her four teammates. She stepped around their chairs, taking the tiny steps two at a time to stand beside Hayley, peering over her shoulder. "Is everything ready?"

"What?" Dr. O practically choked out, standing up from his seat and looking at his long-time friend. "You…you knew what this is all about? You didn't-" but suddenly he stopped talking, his breath hitching in his throat when he spotted the green gem firmly strapped into a plain black bracelet around Kaylee's left wrist that he hadn't noticed when she came in, too perplexed by the outfit. "Kaylee…your gem…" The others noticed it then, too. "But…your phone call… you said Kira came to you first."

"Commander Kaylee," she corrected, turning to face them again as she pulled her regular Dino Bracelet from her hip-pack, switching the gem from one to the other. "And yes, she did-with a plan," she replied. "Not a threat." Her smile practically lit up the room, showing them the bubbly girl was still underneath all that black. "And this really pretty replica of my gem that Hayley here made."

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

_

* * *

The previous evening…_

"_Tori, you come home early?" Kaylee frowned at the silhouette._

"_Close," Kira's voice met her ears, and her eyes went wide. She dropped the hoodie from her hand, taking a step forward. "Don't." She complied, freezing, watching her best friend carefully. "I think you should take a seat…we need to talk."_

_And so she did, sensing something was incredibly off about this whole situation, and fearing the worst. She took a seat beside Dustin, whispering to him. "What's going on?"_

"_No idea," he shrugged. "Went to the washroom and when I came back she was here."_

_Kaylee tried to pick out her friend in the darkness of that corner, her eyes slowly adjusting, and noticed she was wearing something completely un-Kira-like. "Did you get turned into some freaky 007 Agent? Because it's rude to not have invited me."_

"_I know this is going to sound weird, but you're going to have to look at each other and talk, not me," Kira told her, but Kaylee hesitated, confused. "Please, just trust me, Kayl." The Green Ranger's fists clenched, and Dustin reached out to clasp his hands around hers, calming her down like he'd done on the park bench._

"_Trust you? What I should do is come over there and slap you silly for running off the way you did!"_

"_I know, I know. It was stupid. But…now I have a chance to make it work in our favour."_

"_What?" both Dustin and Kaylee's brows creased in confusion._

"_I'm supposed to be retrieving the Dino Gems for Mesogog, using them as an exchange for Hunter."_

"_Is…is that why you're here?" Kaylee squeaked, the very thought of having to fight her best friend being a real drag._

"_If that were the case, don't you think I'd of done it already instead of tell you about it?" Kira chuckled. "I'm not one of the bad guys, Kaylee. I don't tell you my master plan before getting my ass kicked."_

"_Really? Because you kind of look like one." A small smile. Kira deemed it progress. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"_

"_Mesogog is using those freaky psychic cameras of his to monitor my progress," she began explaining. "They pick up video, but not audio, so…"_

"_He doesn't know you're here, does he?" Kaylee chanced a look away from Dustin and over to her best friend, and found a slight smile directed at her through the shadows. She watched as Kira reached into a pack at her hip, procuring what looked like a green Dino Gem. Kaylee frowned, looking back to Dustin to keep up the appearance. "What's that?"_

"_This, is your Dino Gem."_

"_Um, no it's not," Kaylee corrected, tapping the one on her wrist bracelet. "This is." It was Dustin that caught on first._

"_Unless she means that that is the one she's giving to Mesogog."_

"_Correct," Kira nodded. "I'm leaving it here while I go and…get the others." The pain was evident in her voice. "It's going to have to look like I really betrayed you guys, so, please don't think bad of me for how I get them from the guys."_

"_It's okay," Kaylee shrugged. "Now what about mine?"_

"_While I'm gone, I want you to switch yours out with this one so that when I come back to you, last, I'll be stealing the fake. And we'll have to make it look as real as possible."_

"_Does that mean I get to hit you?" Kaylee bounced in her seat, making Kira laugh._

"_Yes. Yes it does."_

"_Alrighty then, I'm sold. But…when I'm switching my gems, won't Meso-dork see me do it on his freaky little cameras?"_

"_Pretty sure he'll be watching me take on the guys at that point."_

"_Okay, then what?"_

"_Phone up Hayley, she's come up with the rest of the plan already. Most of it, actually," Kira admitted, slipping off the table to stand, leaving the green gem behind. "Let's just say we'll all be paying Mesogog a visit soon enough."_

"_Oh, oh, oh!" Kaylee raised her hand, but Dustin grabbed it, reminding her she was talking to him, and not the hidden Kira. "Do I, um, do I get an outfit like that? Something totally cool and 007-like?"_

"_Ask Hayley. I'm sure she can string one together for you, Kayl," Kira shook her head, grinning._

"_Oh, oh! And can I call myself __**Commander Kaylee**__?" she asked, dropping her voice a pitch to make it sound more serious. "I'll be just like in the spy movies!"_

"_Dustin, no more Mission Impossible marathons with her, alright…?"_

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"So I laid low, did the switch and waited for her to come back," Kaylee finished explaining, grinning at the dumb-founded look on most of the guys' faces. "We staged a pretty wicked fight, if I do say so myself. I got to punch her, which was fun. And then I waited until morning to call you guys, and set up the meeting."

"So you lied too?" Conner asked, looking hurt that he'd discovered that whole scene with Kira had his house had in fact been just that.

"Acted," Kaylee corrected him. "We both did. Otherwise Mesogog would've known when he watched her on his freaky mutant camera things." She turned to Hayley, giggling. "I like being all 007, it's really fun!"

"Yeah, Kaylee, you deserve an Oscar or something," Ethan stated, sarcastic in tone, stepping forward. "But what the heck do we do now?"

"That's where I come in," Hayley finally turned to look at the boys, spinning in her chair. Her eyes flickered to Kaylee. "The VelociHummer is ready." She tapped a button on the keyboard and suddenly, the biggest screen in the lab displayed an image of a large, black, armoured Hummer. The computer model rotated, displaying the raptor-like designs painted in dark grey on both sides of the vehicle, just barely visible.

"What the hell is that?" Conner stared, eyebrows raised, but it was Ethan, jaw hanging open, who stepped forward, eyes wide in wonder.

"I feel like I'm Bruce Wayne, and Lucius Fox has just presented me with the army prototype that will become the Batmobile," the boy said, practically salivating. "But instead of being all bat-like, it's all Velociraptor-like… Hayley, have I told you that you're my hero?"

"Yes, but it's nice to hear more than once," she smiled. "Wait until you hear what it's going to be used for."

"BOOM!" Kaylee threw her arms up into the air, abandoning her _Commander_ attitude for a moment before she cleared her throat, folded her arms behind her back, and looked down at her teammates. "Now, we're on a tight schedule, folks. Because once Meso-dork realizes my gem is a fake, things are going to get uglier than him."

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

Kira peeked around the corner, down the hall, looking left and right for any signs of Tyrannodrones, or Mesogog himself. When she spotted nothing, she darted down the hall, slipping through the door on the right, hoping to God she wouldn't find trouble in the room with Hunter's cage. Thankfully, it was empty save him, who looked up at the sound of the door, his eyes widening.

"You're back!" he shuffled to the bars of the cage, leaning against them and reaching out as she stepped up, their fingers intertwining. He spotted the gems at her waist and his gaze softened. "Kira…you didn't. I hoped Mesogog was lying when he came to taunt me about it."

"It's okay," she whispered, leaning close enough to kiss him between the bars. "I promise everything's going to work out. Trust me?"

"With my life," he nodded, caressing her cheek with his rough fingertips.

"I'll be back, okay? We're getting out of here." She turned away, and he watched as she reached out, touching a button on the panel on her way out. He saw the invisiportal he'd become quite familiar with flash for only a second, and knew she'd re-opened. For what reason, he wasn't sure, but he had a bad feeling as he watched her walk away, the doors sliding shut behind her.

She calmly made her way across the hall and through the next set of doors, expecting Mesogog to be waiting there for her. When she found only the civilian Elsa still strapped to the table, she grinned. Perhaps her luck was looking up. Quickly, she hurried over to the woman's side, shaking her awake.

"Elsa… Elsa, I need you to listen to me," Kira pleaded, eyes darting to the door, trying to listen for any movement beyond it. Finally, the woman's eyes opened, and she groggily looked up at the Yellow Ranger with a frown. "You locked Hunter in that cage, and I'm really hoping sapping your powers hasn't sapped your memory. So I need you to tell me how to get him out."

The woman stared at her curiously for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not it was worth it. Kira groaned. "Please, you owe me that much. I wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for your evil scheming ass." This seemed to spark recognition in the woman's eyes, because her frown faded into a look of guilt.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, fidgeting against the straps that were holding her down. "It…It should be in my pocket, on this side. A key with a circular end. But it requires a charge, and I can't…" she trailed off, sighing as Kira plucked the key from her.

"It's okay, I got it covered," she nodded, slipping the small key into her hip-pack.

"What are you-" But the doors slid open then, revealing Mesogog as he strode in. Kira stood at attention, while Elsa seemed to shrink away.

"You've returned," he hissed, his tongue flicking out as he approached his precious machine, his eyes never leaving the Yellow Ranger. "You have them?"

She stepped back from the table, revealing the five shinning gems at on her belt, and the one on her wrist. "They're all here."

"Excellent," he slithered closer to her, reaching out, but she backed away, shaking her head. "Clever girl, keeping them clossse."

"I'm not stupid," she spat. "I may have betrayed my friends, but I was aware from the beginning you weren't to be trusted."

"Unfortunately for you, there's no escape," he hissed, and she yelped as Tyrannodrones grabbed her from behind. "Take her gem! Get it away from her!" he yelled, and in seconds, the gem was wrenched form the bracelet on her wrist, allowing him to attack her with his mind, bringing her to her knees, cursing. He walked over, a low growl in his throat. "Poor Yellow Ranger," he snickered, leaning down and ripping the other gems from their secured slots on her belt. "So much work for nothing at all." He stood up, marvelling at the six gems in his possession. "Dump her with the Thunder Ninja. She'sssss of no use to me anymore."

She fought halfheartedly against the grip of the monsters, but knew it was of no use. Once they were out the door and in the hall, she gave up, preferring to let it happen. Fighting her way out now wasn't going to benefit the plan whatsoever. Hunter looked up as the Tyrannodrones brought her in, but his face fell immediately, graced with the sight of Kira dragged in by the T-Drones, Dino Gem-less.

"Oh, no, Kira…," he sighed, sad eyes watching his girlfriend as they came closer. He stood up, fists clenched, lightning crackling at his fingertips, but the Tyrannodrones hissed angrily, pulling her back a little.

"Let it happen," she told him, shaking her head. "Trust me, remember?"

After a moment, he nodded, abandoning the lightning and stepping back. One of the Tyrannodrones stepped forward, towards the lock, and for a moment, Kira held back laughter, picturing a T-Drone operating a key. But then she realized, as it reached its arm out, that the top of its claw fit neatly into the lock. A small shock of lightning descended its arm and the door clicked, swinging open. "No wonder I couldn't freaking get it," Hunter muttered as they pitched Kira forth into the cage, and he caught her. "You alright?"

"Better now," she replied, curling up in his arms, struggling to retain the composure she'd fought so well to maintain the last twenty-four hours. She pulled the key she'd gotten from Elsa from the hip-pack, twirling in between her fingers, examining the small piece of metal. The tip was jagged, and she realized it didn't look much like a key at all.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"At lassst, my machine is complete," Mesogog smiled, placing the six gems on the front console of the machine into the respectful spots. "With these gems, my creation will reach full power, and all of Reefside will be transsssformed! After I have won rule over the former humanssss, I will extend my reach to the rest of the world!"

He pulled the lever on his transfiguration beam, firing it up, watching as one by one, the gems began to glow, their power being sucked upwards to fuel his machine. Black, White, Blue, Red, Yellow and lastly-sparks cascaded over the machine, the level snapping back up to its standby position.

The glow of the gems faded, one by one becoming just a bunch of coloured rocks like the green one. And in that moment, Mesogog realized he had been played. A furious roar ripped past his throat and into the air.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"You shouldn't of done this for me," Hunter told Kira, stroking her hair, but she looked up, eyes glistening, and all argument faded as she reached up, running her thumb along his cheek with care.

"She hurt you," Kira whispered. He frowned, because her words sounded a little off. He shook it away, figuring he was imagining things. "Because of me. I had to save you."

"And look where that plan got you," he shook his head, kissing the hand that touched his face. "You're stuck in here with me."

"Not quite," she offered him a grin, and for a moment, he thought he saw something flash behind her teeth, but didn't have time to ask as a furious roar broke through the air, and Kira leaned forward, crashing her lips onto his. Hunter responded eagerly, but barely had time to realize what was going on as the door slid open, and Mesogog stood there with two Tyrannodrones, seething.

"BRING HER!" he bellowed, and the Tyrannodrones obeyed, shuffling forward and opening the cage again. They reached Kira and wrenched her away from Hunter, who tried to stop it from happening, but was beaten back. Her reassuring smile was the last glimpse he caught of her before they dragged her out, the door sliding shut behind them. And then, he realized a metallic taste had filled his mouth.

He believed it was blood, but as his tongue went in search of the injury, it instead found an actual piece of metal. He spat it out into his palm, and his eyes widened when he was faced with a rather deformed key. "No way…"

Kira had gotten thrown in with him, for however briefly, on purpose, to give him the key. It was why she had sounded different while talking-because she'd hidden the key in her mouth to transfer through a kiss. He smiled, pulling himself to his feet using the bars, marvelling at her cleverness. Nothing at all about this whole situation made sense to him, but things were looking up, so who was he to complain?

He reached through the bars, sticking the key into the tiny lock after a few tries, and charged up his lightning, focusing it in the hand that held the key. He let the streak of energy go, swirling around the key and into the lock, and heard a loud click. "Yes!" The door swung open, and for the first time in the last two days, Hunter felt relieved as he stepped out of his prison. He rubbed his hands together, ignoring the slight pain in his ribs that was mostly healed since Elsa had stopped their shock therapy sessions, but wasn't completely gone.

His nerves spiked however, when the invisiportal lit up and he thought about ducking back into the cage. Instead, he charged lightning on both hands, standing at the ready, not really knowing what to expect. The redhead and blonde who stepped through, however, were certainly not on his list of possibilities. "Kaylee?"

"Commander Kaylee for this mission, Bradley," she grinned, motioning to her outfit. His eyes widened when he spotted the green gem her wrist.

"But…Kira had the gems for…," he trailed off, remembering the reptile's fury, and froze.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"You double-crossed me, Yellow Ranger!" Mesogog bellowed, slamming his fist against the counter beside his transfiguration beam, knocking all the vials off the top, sending them cascading to the ground, where they shattered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kira smirked, and he narrowed his eyes. A moment later she was crying out as he attacked her psychically, bringing her to her knees in the grasp of the Tyrannodrones. Hissing, he picked up the green gem from his machine, shoving it in her face.

"This caused my machine to crash. It's a fake!" he thundered, throwing it at the wall, where it, too, shattered to pieces, just like the vials. He hissed, furious, looking at the Tyrannodrones that held her. "Leave us." They hesitated. "NOW!"

As soon as the door slid shut behind them, Mesogog grabbed for Kira, but she was already rolling out of the way, her hand darting up, unclipping the restraint at the bottom of Elsa's table, freeing her legs. The woman, who'd been on alert since Mesogog had first roared and stomped off to get Kira, seemed to sense her opportunity and kicked out, slamming her foot into the side of Mesogog's head. He reeled back, snarling, his target suddenly changing.

It gave Kira a moment of reprieve to dive at the gems on his machine, wrenching hers free and slapping it onto her bracelet. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!" Yellow spandex moulded to her body, her helmet clicking into place over her head as Mesogog turned, eyes wide, reaching out with his mind, trying to attack her psychically. "Too late, Meso-freak. I learned my lessons about people messing with my mind a long time ago." Her Ptera Grips were in her hands a second later and she lunged.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"What's going on?" Hunter asked as Hayley calmly passed between him and Kaylee, headed for the nearest machine. "If Kira handed Mesogog the wrong gem then-"

"Calm down, Hunter," Kaylee smiled sweetly, hands on her hips. "All part of the plan. She'll be fine." She glanced towards Hayley, who had begun typing away at the control panel keyboard, watching data scroll down the screen in front of her, then down at the watch on the wrist opposite from her Dino Gem Bracelet. "Almost ready?"

"Just a moment more…," Hayley whispered, going as fast as she could. "Done!" She twirled, grinning, and deftly caught the two-way radio that Kaylee had pulled from hip-pack and tossed over. "Tommy? The portal's open. Bring her on through."

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

At the base of Mesogog's fortress, at the bottom of the small hill that led up to it, an invisiportal sparked to life, activated from within the fortress. The VelociHummer came roaring through it, skidding to a sideways stop a few feet later, tires screeching and Dr. Oliver at the wheel. Ethan sat shotgun, while Dustin, Conner and Trent clambered out of the middle, packs filled with charges on their backs.

"Alright, so you know the plan?" the Black Ranger asked the boys, regarding them seriously over Ethan's head. "Just get up there, plant your charges, and come back. No detours."

"I feel singled out," Conner commented, causing Dustin to smirk.

"You think?"

The soccer star casually flipped him off, slinging his backpack on and heading off in their target direction. Chuckling, the Earth Ninja followed him, and after a pitiful look directed at the other two, Trent pursued.

They made it quickly up the hill and to the side of the fortress building, and with a swift look at the eerie trees surrounding them, the three boys got to work, dropping the packs to the ground and unzipping them, digging in. Charge after charge was brought out and scattered around their five meter radius along the building.

But a low growl broke out amongst the trees, and they stopped scattering the charges, frozen in place. "Did that sound kind of…Tyrannodrone-y to you?" Conner hesitated, slowly turning to face the tree line.

He heard Dustin cry out, and the accompanying growl, and looked sideways to see the Earth Ninja dodging a Tyrannodrone that had dropped down from above and tried to take a swipe at his head. "Look out!" the Earth Ninja yelled, and Conner had just enough time to duck and roll before he almost met a similar fate.

The boys rolled towards one another, standing back-to-back, watching as more T-Drones dropped from not only the top of the building, but the tree line on the other side, boxing them in. "This doesn't look good, guys," Trent pointed out.

"Shut up," Conner snapped. "If we're all getting outta here alive, we gotta get through this."

"I agree with Conner," Dustin nodded, the fingers of one hand twitching. From the corner of his eye, Conner noticed the dirt at his friend's feet start to move, and chuckled. "You guys may not be able to morph anymore, but hey, that hasn't stopped me. Still got nifty powers, and that's all you need."

"Ready?" Conner smirked, concentrating, preparing to kick into super-speed and assault the nearest approaching T-Drone.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

The passenger door opened and Ethan hopped out, another pack on his shoulders as Dr. O did the same. He took a moment to admire the VelociHummer once more, before slamming his door shut and walking around to meet his mentor. "Ready?"

"Let's go," Dr. O nodded, detonator in hand and pack of charges on his back. He made it two feet before a series of monstrous cries reached their ears, and a wave of Tyrannodrones broke the tree line at the base of hill, headed down towards them. "Crap."

"Did you just say crap?" Ethan frowned, not quite used to his science teacher sounding so…young. Dr. O waved it off with a hand, hands balling into fists. "No connection to the morphing grid, but we can still fight, Ethan. You up to it?"

"Definitely, Dr. O," the blue-clad boy nodded. But they never made it to the Tyrannodrones because an explosion went off, moving the ground beneath their feet. The boys just about fell over as they exchanged looks. "Were those our charges?"

Before Dr. O could answer, the two-way radio at his waist went off. _"Bit of a problem, Dr. O_," Conner's voice left the small radio. _"The T-Drones blew up some of the charges. This isn't looking good."_

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

For a dino-freak who tended to hide away in his fortress and let others do his dirty work, Kira was finding him to be a pretty decent opponent, her Ptera Grips locked against his sharp claws. He leaned forward, pushing her back against the tabletop where the empty Dino bracelets were, hissing at her.

"You know, the hissing thing is getting really old," she groaned. "Honestly, you're not a cat, or a snake. It's just downright annoying."

"You won't find it annoying once your kind startsss doing it," Mesogog cackled. "I will get the Green Ranger's gem once I dispose of you. And then, my machine will be complete."

"Not gonna happen," Kira bit back. She pulled her Ptera Grips out of the way, and momentarily, Mesogog was knocked off balance with nothing to push against. Kira reeled back, and swung her helmet head forward, smashing into his nose-or the general area where he would've had one were he not a dinosauric freak. He fell back, growling, and she twirled her Ptera Grips in her hands, smirking. She lunged forward, but never hit her target.

The whole room shook, knocking both of them off balance and Kira went right past her enemy, slamming her head into the table Elsa lay on. She swore, loudly, but thanked the helmet that encased her head, as the impact wasn't as painful as it could've been. "What the hell," she exclaimed. "They're early!"

"They?" Mesogog shouted, making it around the table-top and grabbing her by the neck, pushing her back against the machine. "What have you done, Yellow Ranger?"

"Invited…some friends," she replied, pushing her Ptera Grips between them, holding him off. To her left, the door slid open, revealing Hayley and Kaylee, Hunter slightly supported between the two women.

"Kira!" the Green Ranger called.

"What the heck are you doing?" Kira looked over. "Tyrannodrones could show up at any moment now that the boys set off the charges early!"

"Tommy said the Tyrannodrones set off some of the boys' charges during the fight!" Hayley replied, tapping the two-way radio at her waist.

"In that case it's only a matter of time before they show up here. Get going!" She dodged as Mesogog reeled back and took a swipe at her head, and spun, still locked with her enemy, gaining the upper hand as she pushed him against his own precious machine.

"No way, we're here for you!" Hunter shook his head, and Kaylee nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm fine," Kira stated, trying to motion to the half-conscious woman on the table. "Get Elsa off of there and get her outta here."

"Exsqueeze me?" Kaylee's eyes bugged out, looking from her morphed best friend to the woman on the table and back. "That is _not_ Emo Barbie."

"Mesogog used her power to kick-start his machine," Kira stated, again switching places with him, her back hitting the machine. "She's human now!" Kaylee nodded, rushing into the room and over to the table-top, reaching out for the clasp still tying her down.

"_Hayley, it's Tommy. We've got a problem. The Tyrannodrones Ethan and I were fighting broke the detonator. Our charges and the rest of Conner's are set, but we no longer have a remote way of detonating them."_'

"What should we do?" Hayley asked, watching as Kira furiously pushed Mesogog away. Kaylee, meanwhile, had managed to undo Elsa's straps, and was helping her off the table, supporting her on one shoulder.

"_The building is crumbling. We've got to get out of here._"

"Yesssss," Mesogog cackled, barrelling into Kira and slamming her into his machine. She could feel the gems digging into her back. And suddenly, the solution to their predicament dawned on her.

"Hayley," she called, trying to look around the dino-freak's head to spot the redhead supporting Hunter. "Can we destroy the machine? It's-ow-it's big enough it might gene-ow-generate enough of a blast to set off the—"

"No!" Mesogog shrieked, trying to reach between her Ptera Grips and claw at her.

"Okay, that's it, I've had it with you," Kira snapped, reaching up and hitting the bottom to lower her visor. The others realized what she was planning, and had just enough time to cover their ears before she screamed, waves of yellow crashing into Mesogog. It was at close enough range to send him flying through the air, slamming into the very wall he'd previously shattered the fake green gem against, knocking him out.

Kira turned to Hayley, breathing heavily. "If we overload the machine, will it be enough to set off the other charges and bring this whole thing down?"

Hayley's eyes scanned the machine, ignoring how the ground rocked beneath their feet again; a chunk of ceiling at the far end of the room fell down. She nodded, slowly, aiming a solemn look towards the petite rocker. "It just might work, but, you know what that'll mean, don't you?"

"If all of this is destroyed…if Mesogog's done and we can get rid of this place and everything on this island, it won't matter, right? We won't need them?" Kira sounded hopeful, better than the last two days.

"We…we should tell Tommy," Hayley hesitated. "We should—"

"We don't have time!" Kira shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Tension filled the gap between the two women, the eerie silence disturbed only by the ground shaking beneath their feet. Finally, Hayley nodded. "Alright."

Kira's gaze rounded on Kaylee then, a soft smile adorning her face. "Kayl," she spoke, bringing her best friend's attention up to her. "I need your gem."

"What?" the girl frowned, looking at the green gem on her wrist. "But…you said the fake would do."

"Kaylee," Kira sighed, stepping towards her best friend, offering her hand. "I need you to trust me. I need your gem. And I need you guys to get the hell out of here, because it's going to get loud."

"I…oh," Kaylee needed only a moment to comprehend and she nodded, getting Hayley to support Elsa for a moment, reaching down to her wrist and unclipping her gem from her bracelet. She stared down at it, watching the light reflect off its sparkling surface, and realized this would be the last time she'd ever get this chance. "Goodbye, Spino." In response, a faint roar echoed out from the gem. "I'll miss you too."

Slowly, she reached out, handing the gem to her best friend. But in her best imitation of Conner, she tightened her grip, making Kira stand her ground and look her in the eyes through her open visor. Those suddenly oh-so-serious Kaylee eyes. "If you don't get out in time, so help me God."

"I promise I'll be alright, Kayl-Whale," Kira smiled, before her eyes darted to Hunter. "But you have to promise me…," her eyes found Kaylee's again, "that you won't turn back. You'll keep on going and get everyone out of here." It was a moment before the Green Ranger nodded, shaking on it.

"I promise to get these losers to safety," Kaylee replied. "My job as a Commander and all!"

They beamed at one another before separating, Kira turning back to the machine with Kaylee's gem in hand, and the latter turned to the others, pointing to the door. "Move out, troops!" She softened when she noticed that Hayley was taking Elsa out, leaving Hunter without support again. She went to help, but he waved her off, chuckling.

"I think I'm okay to walk across the hallway."

But as the words escape his mouth, Hayley and Elsa cried out, just barely missing the chunk of ceiling that fell in front of them, blocking their way to the invisiportal in the room Hunter had spent the last two days. Kaylee wanted to punch him in the arm. "You jinxed us," she commented, pushing past him and leading them down the hall.

"Can't you just 'port us out?" he frowned, catching up, but she shook her head.

"Did you miss the part where I just gave my gem to Kira?"

"It has nothing to do with the gem, Kaylee," Hayley spoke up, and they paused, turning to look at the brilliant woman. "When you kids contracted with the gems all that time ago, they bonded to your DNA. Those civilian powers, like your teleportation and Kira's Ptera Scream, they remain even when they're no longer in contact with their original source. They're a part of you now."

"Cool beans," the girl grinned, grabbing onto Hunter's arm, who took Hayley's, and screwed her eyes shut. A second passed, but they remained there. She opened one eye, looking at Hayley. "Um. Are you sure?"

"Positive," she nodded. "You know the invisiportal system has always messed with your powers. Maybe we're just too close to the one in that room that it's affecting you."

"Alright, troops, I say again," Kaylee's hand shot into the air, pointing down the hall. "Move out!" Shaking their heads, the others followed her.

* * *

xX-Death-of-the-Dino-Xx

* * *

"Okay, Kira, you can do this," Kira breathed, repeating the words to herself like a mantra, approaching the transfiguration beam. She reached out, placing Kaylee's gem in the slot where the fake one had previously resided. Then, she took a deep breath, and powered down, looking at the gem on her bracelet. She plucked it from its resting place, holding it up to the light, watching as it caught it and reflected such brilliant hues of yellow. The image of her Pterodactyl reflected off it, and she heard its faint cry in her ears. It brought tears to the surface.

She remembered the first time she heard it, back when she wanted nothing to do with all this.

She remembered calling out to her Zord for the first time, connecting with it, watching as it responded, gained her colour, and became a part of her.

She remembered the countless times they fought together against their enemies, and thought sadly that she won't ever get to experience that again. "I'm sorry," she stated solemnly, "that we have to part this way. If it were up to me, I'd keep you forever. We all would." She looked down at the other gems, as if she could offer them apologies for their rightful owners never having a say in all this. Her eyes found her gem again. "I thank you, for everything you've done. For all the battles we've fought together. I just need this last one from you. I'm sad to see you go." Slowly, fighting back those tears, she placed the sixth gem on the machine's front, and reached out, pulling the lever into place.

She listened as the machine revved up, sparking to life, and stood back, taking a deep breath, focusing on her gem, readying the Ptera Scream that would overload the system and cause enough of a chain reaction to blow up the machine, taking out the rest of the charges placed around the base and the whole island facility with it.

"NO!" a roar erupted behind her, and she didn't even have the time to turn as Mesogog, conscious again, launched himself at her, claws reaching out and connecting with her back, ripping, tearing, setting her slightly off-kilter.

She screamed.

The blast hit the gems, setting them all off, throwing them into a fierce glare that could blind. But it also went wide, ripping through part of the beam and shredding the entire ceiling above it, continuing into the air for a moment before Kira fell backwards, crashing to the floor.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Mesogog bellowed, standing over her. Despite the fact that her back was screaming its protest, the stone floor cold against her now open back, Kira smiled up at him.

"It's too late, you're finished," she replied, keeping his attention for the few milliseconds long enough for the ceiling above him to finish detaching itself and fall. An unsettling crack rang out in the lab room, and Mesogog collapsed beneath its weight, slamming face-first into the floor. From the rubble, he turned his head to look at her, displaying the disgusting blood oozing from the top of his head as he grinned, spots of black filling the edges of her vision.

"So are you."

* * *

Oh NOES! KIRA! What the fffffffffasdsadasdasgsdf!

Well folks, told you there was more than meets the eyes to best friends Kira and Kaylee.

_This is by far my favourite chapter in the whole series_. No lie. Because it includes the girls taking charge and saving the day right behind the backs of the boys, with the conjoined efforts of Tomb-Raider-Style-Kira, Behind-The-Scenes-Hayley and, Awesome-Commander-Kaylee (yes, I made a terribly punny foreshadowing, _Lily_ and I laughed for quite some time over this particular instance).

That said, everything comes to a climax and resolution in the next chapters, and I can't wait to hear from everyone once it's complete to know just what your thoughts were on the completion of Dino Thunder (disregarding the fact that it took me two long and pitiful years).

Love you all, and next up: _Phoenix Rising_.

_Side Note: I lied. Well, not technically, since I just now split the chapters, but there is in fact TWO more after this, not one. This stems from the fact that this chapter was formerly 11,000 words and the one after was 12,000 and in an effort to decrease the hellishly long chapters (because I myself dislike long-ass chapters that are over 30 pages), I cut up the end of this and attached it to the beginning of the next._


	38. Phoenix Rising

**Phoenix Rising**

The blast knocked them all off their feet, sending the group of four straight to the ground amongst the rubble that broke off from the ceiling above them, nearly crushing them to death. Amongst the rubble, Kaylee blinked, looking around, trying to orient herself in the aftermath of the loudest of Kira's screams she had ever heard. She prayed that it was only to power the machine, and nothing else.

Through the dust that was beginning to clear, the now former Green Ranger looked up, coughing, trying to discern where her fallen friends were, hoping none of them were injured more than they'd previously been. Chunks of roof and wall were everywhere, falling around them, but it was movement nearby that caught her attention.

She spotted the all-too-familiar android in the next lab-room, calmly stepping up to a shelf filled with glass bottles. He picked up one of them, examining it, holding it up to the flickering light that was apparently out despite the beating the whole building was taking. She saw the contents of the jar move, and could almost swear that it looked like arms were flailing about, indicating that it was a person, but the only person who had ever been that small was her, an experience with her couch cushions that she did not want to revisit.

"Hey!" she yelled, regretting it as soon as Zeltrax looked over, tilting his head at her. She realized how easy it would be for him to walk over and destroy her, right now, when she was no longer able to morph. But instead, he merely lifted a hand to wave, and another blast shook the building, a chunk of ceiling falling in the middle of that room, momentarily blocking him from her sight. By the time the dust cleared, he was gone, jar and all. "What the…"

"Kaylee!" Hunter called, reaching out and shaking her by the shoulders. "What are you doing? We've called you three times already!" She looked past him, spotting Hayley and Elsa looking ready to go. "You took a pretty good hit to the head to cover us, are you alright?"

"Um, yeah, yeah," she nodded; getting to her feet, brushing the dust from her clothes, quite in vain, wondering if she'd just hallucinated. "Let's, uh, let's go."

"What? No. Didn't you hear that? That scream certainly didn't sound normal," he pointed out, looking the way they'd come.

"And didn't you hear Kira? She made me promise not to turn back, but to get you guys outta here safely."

"You can't be serious. We have to check if she's-"

"Kira promised she'll get out alright. I trust her," Kaylee responded, trying to push him forward down the hall. "Now, let's go, Bradley, before I have to go all Commander Kaylee on your ass."

He looked down the hall again, still hesitating, and Kaylee made the operative decision, grabbing his arm and reaching forward to grab Hayley's as well.

_**ZWOP!**_

* * *

xX-Phoenix-Rising-Xx

* * *

The Tyrannodrones were blasted off their feet, a chunk of the building falling down and crushing them, effectively eliminating the resistance Conner, Dustin and Trent had been getting. The three boys were sweating, nearing exhaustion, and covered in dirt from being tossed around-and only one of them was comfortable with the last one.

"Was that…," Dustin trailed off, following Conner's gaze towards the building. They'd all seen the flash of yellow as something tore off half the roof. They all knew what it was.

"It was," Conner's fists clenched, but Trent shook his head nervously.

"Oh, no, I know that look, dude." Worry filled his voice. "No way. She's probably fine, fighting back, y'know?" He reached out towards his leader's shoulder.

"How do you know?" Conner snapped, throwing Trent's supportive hand off, glaring. "We haven't heard from the others in ages!"

"Conner, I know what you're thinking," Trent regarded him seriously. "Don't do it."

"Don't even try and stop me from going after her this time, Fernandez," the Red Ranger spat, starting up the path towards the fortress. "Or else."

"Conner, please, just-" He grabbed at the soccer star's shirt, trying to drag him back, to stop him, anything, but instead met the other boy's knuckles as Conner whirled, slamming his fist into Trent's jaw. He fell like a rock, groaning.

In a trail of red, Conner left, racing up towards the building as fast as his superpowers would take him. Dustin sighed, crouching down and patting Trent on the back. "He told you not to do it, dude."

"Why didn't you stop him? He'd listen to you," Trent spoke thickly through the fat lip that was already forming. "He won't listen to me."

"That's because he pretty much hates your guts," Dustin grinned, before helping Trent up. "If that had been Kaylee's scream, I know I'd be rushing in there faster than you can say 'ninja-streak', and Con wouldn't lift a finger to stop me, so," he shrugged. "Sorry. No can do." His gaze lifted, watching the path Conner had raced away on, and smiled. "There's no stopping a guy in love, man."

The sound of screeching tires made the boys turn, and they spotted the VelociHummer spin to a stop at the base of the hill, depositing Ethan a few feet away as he jumped out, Dr. O following once he put the vehicle in park. The moment the Blue Ranger spotted Trent's quickly welting face, he grimaced. "Dude, what the heck happened to you? That looks worse than Kira's."

"That's because it was Conner's," Trent replied bitterly, rubbing his cheek.

"He went after Kira following the scream, huh?" Ethan shook his head, sighing. "Knew he would."

"Trent here tried to stop him," Dustin chuckled, patting the White Ranger on the back.

"Bad idea, dude," Ethan's grimace returned.

"Yeah, thanks, I know that_ now_," Trent muttered.

"Have you boys heard from the others?" Tommy asked, bringing them back to the reality that they were standing on an island that soon would be sinking, and they needed to get on with the plan and get the hell out of here. Like, Red Ranger fast.

"No, have you?" Dustin replied, and Tommy shook his head. The Earth Ninja noticed Ethan suddenly looking straight up into the sky, and his brow wrinkled. "What are you doing?"

"Maybe they'll just drop out of the sky any minute now," Ethan said, and there was a pause before Tommy face-palmed.

"That hasn't worked the last three times, Ethan, what makes you think it will now?"

"It did before, remember?"

"What? When?" it was Trent's turn to frown.

"Before your time, dude."

_**ZWOP!**_

Kaylee, Hunter, Hayley and a woman with black hair fell from the sky, landing on the roof of the VelociHummer with a little bump. Ethan cheered, pumping his fists into the air. "Yes! Worked again!"

From the roof of the vehicle, Kaylee glared at the boy. "You asked the sky to drop us out again, didn't you?"

"Hey, worked with you and Kira, worked again this time," he grinned, before noticing Hunter hop down and help Hayley off, and then a lady with black hair. "Except…that's not Kira."

"No, this is Elsa," Kaylee stated, jumping down from the roof, flourishing when she landed on her feet, bowing. She saw their looks and giggled. "No worries. Humanized. Mesogog zwopped her Emo Barbie powers for his machine."

"So, where's Kira?" Trent asked, watching as Hunter glared at the ground, and Kaylee's smile faltered only for a second.

"She, um, she stayed to overload Meso-dork's machine. Using the gems and her scream. She and Hayley worked out that it would be a big enough blast to set off the remaining charges and blow the whole thing sky high." She then lifted a finger and began counting them, one by one, including herself, and frowned. "Um, where's Conner? And why does Trent's face look like a tomatooooooooh." She slapped a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh as Trent's face turned as red as the missing Ranger, looking away.

"What? What am I missing?" Hunter spoke up, noticing that by the looks on everyone's faced, he was the only one missing the point. Except Elsa, of course, but she didn't count.

"There's no one quite as hot-headed as Conner when it comes to Kira's safety," Kaylee declared, offering Hunter a pat on the back. "No offence."

Together, the group looked up to the fortress that was due to explode at any minute now.

* * *

xX-Phoenix-Rising-Xx

* * *

"Kira!" Conner called down the hall, trying to squint through the falling pieces of rubble and dust to navigate. "Kira! Where are you?" He'd come to this section of the building because it had the most debris lying around, and assuming that her scream had taken out part of the ceiling in the process, it was logical that she might be around here. Or at least, he hoped. "Kira!" His throat was getting hoarse, and his worry was spiking with every second that went by without a response. His mind kept thinking up the worst scenarios.

Finally, he spotted a glow from an open doorway down the hall, and hope rose. He kicked into super-speed, skidding to a stop at the doorway. His eyes easily fell upon the prone form of Mesogog, buried beneath a pile of rubble, a gooey substance that Conner assumed to be blood covering his head. He grimaced. "Gross."

His eyes scanned the room, and he noticed that the glow was coming from Kira's yellow gem, strapped into Mesogog's machine alongside the others, and looking down beneath them, he found the very girl he'd been searching for, on her back, and he wasn't sure if her chest was rising and falling or not. "Kira!" He ran to her, landing on his knees, his arms wrapping around her. It was only a second before he noticed that it felt sticky beneath her, and hoped to god it was sweat from being stuck in a burning and crumbling building. Please, let it be sweat. Slowly, he moved her sideways, and his heart sank.

Three bloody streaks tore through her clothing, from her right shoulder blade to her lower back, and had shredded the skin beneath. No doubt this was Mesogog's doing, in a last-ditch effort to stop her. "No, no, no! I knew this was a bad idea," Conner exclaimed, shaking his head fervently. "Shitshitshitshit! Why did you do this, Kira? Why didn't you just ask us for the help?"

"To save…you guys…," a faint whisper reached his ears, and he cradled her in his arms, not caring that the blood was probably getting onto his clothes, too.

"Kira!" he called, pulling her close. "Kira! Come on, answer me again! KIRA!" But her eyes were closed, and he could barely see her chest move, if at all. "No, no, no! What do I do? Oh, God, what do I do?" He looked around, frantically, but there was nothing to stop the bleeding. So he stripped off his red shirt, ignoring that the dust and blood would destroy the white t-shirt underneath, instead focusing on shredding his shirt into strips, wrapping them to cover her back, and applying pressure to hopefully stop any more blood loss. "Kira?" But still, she didn't respond.

He could feel his heart tearing up just as easily as his shirt had. "Please don't let her die, please, please don't let me lose her," he begged, tears forming in his eyes. He cradled her closer, the tears now freely running down his cheeks. "Please, please, please. God, please, no, not her. Not the girl I love. Please, please, please!" He sobbed, rocking her back and forth.

The glow of the yellow Dino Gem ignited, flaring up and bathing the room in yellow light. Conner looked up, confused, wondering if…no way… From the glow a faint outline of a bird rose-_no, not a bird_, he realized. _Kira's Pterodactyl_. It floated towards them, it's faint cry echoing around the room, coming to hover above them.

"I've got to be dreaming again," Conner breathed, before the glows of the other gems sparked to life, one by one; his, Kaylee's, Ethan's, Dr. O's and Trent's, though they were still overshadowed by the bright yellow. "What…what's going on?" Streams of red, green, blue, black and white burst forth, encircling the Pterodactyl above them as it watched Kira, its head tilted. Suddenly, the girl in his arms was engulfed in a yellow glow quite like the one before them, accents of the other colors flickering across her body.

"What the hell is-" His ability to speak escaped him as he noticed the gashes on her back suddenly begin to close. He could see their puckered red marks left on her skin, and pondered how the hell he was going to explain this one as the glow faded away, leaving just a normal girl in his arms again. He looked up, noticing the glowing from the other gems was beginning to fade, too, and his eyes chanced a landing on his red one.

The sound of his T-Rex filled his ears, and he smiled softly, understanding in that moment, that his is the last time. "Thank you." He nodded sadly as the colors faded from the gems. The Pterodactyl cry echoed in the room again, and he looked back to it, watching as it flew forth, directly into Kira.

She bolted awake, sitting up, breathing rapidly and coughing. His attention immediately snapped to her, and he placed an arm on her back, steadying her. She turned, noticing him, and threw herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck. "Hey, hey, it's alright. You're okay."

"I'm so sorry," she stated, and he heard the sob that followed, telling him she was crying. "I'm sorry for everything, Conner. I'm sorry for saying I hated you. I'm sorry for-"

A shower of sparks erupted from Mesogog's machine, and a chunk of ceiling on the other side of the room collapsed, nearly bathing the two in a shower of dust. They both coughed, and Conner stood up, picking the girl up in his arms despite her protests. He chanced a look at their gems, now out of reach beyond the sparking machine, but they were devoid of color. "You know they're…done, right?" Kira spoke. "The machine took all…the remaining power to…overload."

"I think you'd be surprised at what really finished them off," he chuckled. "Now hold on, I'm getting us out of here."

And they were gone, speeding out of the fortress in a flash of red, leaving the machine behind to explode seconds later, the shockwave rippling out, blowing apart everything in its path as it tore through the fortress.

* * *

xX-Phoenix-Rising-Xx

* * *

"There they are!" Kaylee hopped up and down frantically, pointing towards the path up to the fortress, where a red blur had appeared, headed for them. The moment Conner broke out of super-speed, skidding to a stop in front of them with a barely conscious Kira in his arms, the fortress behind them exploded, the shockwave nearly knocking them all off their feet. The blonde's eyes practically bugged out of her skull, staring at the blood covering both their clothes. "Holy farting monkeys! Whose blood is that?"

But the explosion of the fortress had kick-started the last of the charges, and the island around them was beginning to crumble. Dr. O leapt into the VelociHummer, turning the key and revving up the engine. "No time! We gotta get outta here!"

Everyone clambered into the vehicle with haste, and the doors were barely closed before Dr. O slammed his foot on the gas, swerving the entire ride towards the invisiportal's location. Upon order, Kaylee reached out, closing her eyes and focusing, and the invisiportal appeared, allowing them to speed up, the island crumbling away behind the vehicle.

They reached the portal and disappeared through it before it winked out of existence forever…

* * *

xX-Phoenix-Rising-Xx

* * *

"Is she going to be alright?" Conner asked, looking over his shoulder to see the peacefully resting Kira on one of the lab beds, Kaylee tending to her, Hunter holding her hand, waiting.

"She should be fine," Dr. O nodded, eyes focused on the screen before him. A plethora of data scrolled by in front of him and if Conner had been paying attention to anything other than the girl resting nearby, he'd of been amazed his teacher was capable of reading it that fast. His eyes drifted from Kira to the two individuals watching over her, and he felt a pang of regret that it wasn't him sitting there, first for her to see when she awoke.

After all, it had been him who had saved her. It had been him who had risked himself, who had thrown himself into a crumbling building to reach her. His hands balled into fists at his sides, the anger boiling up from within as he watched Hunter lean over and kiss the girl's forehead. Dustin leaned forward to grip his shoulder.

"Easy, dude," he patted him sympathetically on the arm. "You can't win 'em all. I'd know."

In an effort to distract himself, his gaze shifted left, towards Hayley, who was standing at the base of the stairs with Elsa, ready to send her on her way. Whatever Mesogog had done to turn her into the monstrously evil woman who'd tried to kill them all, it had vanished alongside her powers, and she was now as harmless as she was powerless.

"I'll tell her," Hayley nodded, agreeing to thank Kira on Elsa's behalf when she awoke. With a wave and a grateful smile to the others, their former enemy left the lab, at peace.

"Got it!" Dr. O exclaimed, snapping Conner back to attention. He spun in his chair, watching as all the screens on the wall lit up, bathing the lab in light as a dinosaur took shape, literally soaring onscreen. It looked just like the Pterodactyl Kira controlled. Just like the one Conner had seen in Mesogog's lair. The one that had saved her. His eyes widened.

A second image slid onto the screens as the first moved left, creating a split-screen effect between the two. The new image was of another pterodactyl, one that Conner recognized from studying it in class.

"The Pterosaur breed you see on the left is called a Pteranodon, one of the most common fossilized breeds found of the Pterodactyl species," Dr. O began, immediately shifting into lecture mode, causing Conner to groan, almost wishing he hadn't asked. This was going to make his brain hurt, he was sure. "When I first began my studies of the Dino Gems and accompanying Biozords with Anton, we both assumed that the Pteranodon was the entity contained within the yellow Dino Gem, and so Kira's Biozord was modelled after it. We never thought to look into it further, because all the other gems contained the basic and most common breeds of their species as well. But when you described what you witnessed with Kira…"

The soccer star's gaze drifted again, wandering over to the girl on the lab bed. Two sets of eyes looked back at him, as the images had caught the attention of Kaylee and Hunter as well. Seeing his audience, Dr. O continued.

"After hearing your description, I realized that the Pterosaur you saw materialize from the Dino Gems couldn't possibly be a normal breed. It didn't fit. So I immediately started researching it when we got back and to the right, here…," Conner finally turned, staring up at the first image that Dr. O had brought up, and only now noticed the differences between the two dinosaurs. The wingspan seemed similar, but on the right, the beak was longer, sharper, and the entire spike behind its skull was absent. "Is this what you saw, Conner? Is this what saved Kira?"

"Y-yeah…," Conner stammered, nodding slowly, not removing his eyes from the image, flashing back to his panic, his fear, and his tears at watching Kira's near-death. He wanted to ask what it was, why it was different, but he was finding everything a little confusing.

Thankfully, someone else spoke for him. "What the zwop is that?" Kaylee asked, squinting.

"The scientific name for it would be _Alanga Saharica_," Dr. O replied, undeterred. He'd clearly made an exciting discovery with this, because now he was on a roll. "It's from the late Cretaceous period. It's a species of Pterosaur found in the Sahara desert, whose name translates into _Phoenix of the Sahara_."

"So, Kira had a bird and not a dinosaur?" Kaylee frowned, looking sideways at Hayley. "Could you please be the Leanne to our Cam here?"

"Tommy's basically explaining that Kira's Pterodactyl was special, similar to the phoenix of legend that has the power to rise from the ashes of death, and because it was special, it saved her life and brought her back."

"Good thing…too…," a voice wheezed, and the all whirled around to see Kira slowly sitting up, eyes fluttering open. "Or else I'd…be breaking my promise…" Just as the words escaped her mouth, Kaylee launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around her best friend's neck. In response, the dirty blonde spluttered, made choking noises. "Kaylee… you're-"

"I came so close to having to kick your butt, missy!" Kaylee exclaimed, and it was then that Kira heard the sob contained in her voice, and the true fear the bubbly girl had being shielding from the others. Her grip relaxed slightly.

"I know," Kira said softly, her hand running in soothing circles on Kaylee's back. "I know, Kayl-Whale. I'm sorry." Tears were now brimming in her own eyes as well. Over the blonde's shoulder, she watched the others, gaze skimming Hunter's, Tommy's, Dustin's, Hayley's and finally, Conner's. She screwed her eyes shut, and finally, after one last squeeze, Kaylee stepped back, allowing Hunter to give her a hug of his own.

When he pulled away, she regarded her mentor and leader with eyes hidden behind lashes, guilt written all over her gaze. "Dr. O, Conner, I'm-"

"We know," Tommy smiled, making it much easier for her. "Kaylee explained everything. Ethan and Trent get it, too."

"It was all part of the plan, right?"

Her eyes met Conner's, and for a moment, they were in his room again, lights dimmed, on that computer chair, momentarily lost to the rest of the world around them. She cleared her throat, snapping back to reality and nodding slowly. "R-Right."

They avoided each other's eyes.

"But I…I didn't just take the gems. I didn't just use you guys…," her eyes dropped to her hands, folded in her lap, finding them mightily interesting. "I destroyed them."

"You did the right thing, Kira," Dr. O smiled, and hearing it in his voice, she looked up, relief flooding through her. "You could've grabbed the gems and run, but then we'd still be facing a psychotic prehistoric maniac."

"He's right, Kir," Dustin grinned, giving her a thumbs up. "You didn't just save everyone here; you saved Reefside too, by sacrificing the gems. I'd say that's a good turn-out if I've ever seen one."

"Besides, that means you can spend more time on your family, your music, your friends," Hunter squeezed her hand, smiling. "You'll get used to what happens after the power." Across the room, Dustin nodded in agreement.

But she didn't return the smile. Instead, her face scrunched up, and she wriggled her shoulders slightly, looking uncomfortable. A frown graced her features and a hand wound its way to her back, intent on scratching. But Hunter was faster. He took her hand in his, sympathy on his features, causing her frown to deepen. "What? I'm itchy."

"You don't want to do that just yet."

"Why not?" He didn't answer, instead sending Kaylee an awkward look. "Guys?" The blonde, in turn, looked over her shoulder at Dr. O, Dustin and Conner, inquisitive. The soccer star was the one to step forth.

"How much do you remember?" He looked worried, which in turn made her begin to worry.

"W-Why…?"

"Well, because, when I…when I ran into the crumbling fortress to save you-" her eyes widened "-you…you were lying there, amongst the rubble, by the gems. You were…you were fading and…and there was so much-," he caught himself, rubbing his eyes with his hand. Frantic, she craned her neck, attempting to see behind her, twisting and fidgeting. She noticed she wasn't wearing the black shirt from before, but instead a simple yellow tank top. She frowned, it was hers, but she sure has hell hadn't had it anywhere near before. Unable to see, she swung her legs off the lab bed, ignoring the protests of both Hunter and Kaylee, getting to her feet. Hurriedly, she took a step forward, scanning the room, trying to find some reflective surface she could use as a mirror.

It was Hayley that came to her rescue, picking a small mirror up off one of the tables, a sad look on her face. "I figured you'd want to see when you woke." She held it out and Kira grabbed it, holding it at an angle by her side at which she could see part of her back, and her heart sank. There, running from the base of her right shoulder blade to the middle of her lower back, were three jagged slashes, just barely healed, by the looks of it, still a glaring shade of pink.

Fresh tears blossomed in her eyes. "Oh, God…"

"Kira…?" Dustin gulped, worried for his fellow yellow.

The others were speechless, unable to think of something good enough to say faced with the usually stoic girl who was now moved to tears by whatever feelings those scars brought forth. "I remember…" A sob escaped her lips, and the two blondes behind her were the first to move, reaching out, touching her shoulder, offering her their support. Kaylee and Hunter shot each other worried glances around the rocker.

Her glistening eyes looked up, meeting Conner's. "You…you saved me… You… after everything I… if it weren't for you I'd-" her eyes drifted towards the mirror, catching sight again of her back, and a fresh sob sounded in her throat. Gently, she reached back with her other hand, running her fingers over them. Their form was rippled, slightly bumpy, already scarring nicely. Not that that helped the fact that they were there, mind you.

"It's okay, Kira," Kaylee soothed and from the top of the stairs leading to the computers, Conner nodded.

"Yeah, and besides, they make some pretty nice battle scars. And you don't technically have to look at them way back there." As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he'd spoken exactly the wrong thing, yet again putting his foot in his mouth as her snapped towards him, her glare so much more fearsome when it was adorned with tears.

"Yes, because I'm sure these babies will go so fucking great with my prom dress," she hissed, and Kaylee actually dropped her arm from her best friend's shoulder, eyes wide in fright. Definitely the scariest pitch she'd ever heard the girl reach, no matter how many countless fights she'd listened to between Red and Yellow. Not mention the swearing. "And every open-backed shirt I own…"

"I'm sure I can fix it up with some make-up, and you'll be right as rain for tonight," a girlish voice broke the tension in the room, and slowly, everyone looked to the stairs, down which came Ethan, accompanied by Devin, and finally, Cassidy. Kira's eyes went wide.

"Um, what the…," she trailed off, seeing Kaylee offer her a funny look, and she corrected herself at the last second. "…zwop?"

"Better," the blonde grinned.

"Glad to see you're okay, Kira," Cassidy smiled, and the rocker couldn't help but just stare, unable to respond. "Here's where you say thanks."

"T-Thanks…," she spoke slowly, before her eyes widened. "Wait, did you say _tonight_? Prom is TONIGHT?" She whirled to face the others. "How long was I out for?" she asked, trying to think back to what date it had been when she'd infiltrated Mesogog's fortress with the gems. She gasped when Dr. O filled in the blank for her.

"Six days."

"Six _days_?" she shrieked, watching her fellow teammates. She thought of what they had gone through, waiting for her to wake, worrying that she may never, no matter what special kind of Pterodactyl had brought her back in that fortress. Then, with a pang, she thought her mother, sitting at home, waiting for Kira to come home. _Six days_… "My mom… has she… has she alerted the police, the National Guard and Homeland Security by now?" She was trying to lighten the mood, trying to drive out the images of her crying mother from her mind, but she just couldn't do it.

"She knows, actually," Kaylee pressed her hand against Kira's, who squeezed back. "Hunter and I went to tell her, as soon as Hayley hooked you up and told us you were stable. I picked up your shirt while I was there, too."

"She's been in and out visiting since," Hunter added. "We finally sent her home because she hadn't gotten any sleep and was seriously in need of some."

"T-Thank you," Kira said finally, after a long silence. Then, her eyes drifted back to newcomers and a new look of curiosity crossed her face. "And you guys?"

"They know," Ethan said simply, taking up one of the computer chairs while Devin stared around, wide eyed, at all the equipment in the basement lab. "They, uh, well…" He nudged Devin, who snapped to attention, blinking as he focused on Kira.

"Right, sorry," he grinned sheepishly, throwing one last look around the room. "Just so cool…"

"Devin," Ethan called, and the brunette nodded emphatically, his smile widening.

"I was headed to get in line for tickets for Asteroid Conquest 2 when I saw Ethan leaving it," Devin began. "I ducked around a corner to avoid him seeing me, since, well, as much as I would've love to stand in line with him and nerd out, I was afraid word might get to Cassidy about where I'd gone."

"And since he was supposed to be helping me with research on discovering the identities of, well, you guys," Cassidy chimed in, smiling, "for Mr. Cormier, he was totally _not_ supposed to be there."

Kira kept herself from overreacting before she'd heard the rest of the story. She knew that in the six days she'd been unconscious, depending on how long Cassidy had known, if would've been far too easy for her to make it all public. And given the fact that there didn't seem to a buzz of news crews and reporters outside the house, she assumed perhaps for once in her life, Cassidy Cornell had kept her mouth shut.

Seeing her look, Cassidy's smile grew, and Devin hastily continued in an effort to relieve the Yellow Ranger. "I was lucky enough to overhear talking to Doctor Oliver on his communicator, and interested, I followed him to the warehouse district."

Kira mentally retracted her steps. It was the invisiportal she'd come through on her way out of Mesogog's fortress after promising to deliver the gems. She'd hidden amongst the warehouse mess, watching as the others had battled the Tyrannodrones she'd brought along as a distraction. It was there she'd found that handy knock-out gas.

Clearly, she hadn't been the only one watching.

Devin blabbered on. "By the time I got there with my camera…," he glanced at the other Rangers, his smile not once wavering. "They were powering down. And Kaylee teleported. And I…well, you were missing, but they were talking about you, and so it was easy for me to figure out and…and I got it on camera so I…"

His face had become scarlet, his resolve to explain slowly draining away as Kira's angry look intensified. She was thinking of the worst outcome, he knew, and so dutifully, Cassidy stepped in, tilting her head with a sweet smile. "He brought it right to me, of course. And judging from your look, I'm assuming I did my job and turned the tape into Mr. Cormier's office."

"You're not one to turn down a story this incredible," Kira bit back. "I mean, discovering the identity of the Dino Rangers? You'd be a reporter legend. Story of a lifetime and all."

But there was no trace of the story-hungry Cassidy standing before her. Instead, the glint in her eyes was sincere, her posture relaxed as she simply shrugged, looking for all the world like the simple little girl Kira had gone to school with elementary before the strive of perfection had hit during high school. "You guys are my friends. It just… well, it wouldn't be right to ruin your lives just to make mine better. Not after everything you've done for us."

She took a step back, standing closer to Devin, and Ethan chuckled. "I always knew there was a heart deep down in there somewhere."

"Yeah, I just needed someone to help me find it," Cassidy glanced over her shoulder at Devin, who winked, taking hold of her hand. Eyebrows raised all over the room, except for Conner, who grinned, whistling.

"Atta boy, Dev," he laughed. "Seems you didn't even need my help."

"Had it covered and I didn't even know it," Devin shrugged.

Someone's phone began ringing then, and all eyes turned to Ethan, who rewarded them with a sheepish look, digging in his pocket to retrieve his cell. When he spotted the name on the caller ID, his eyes lit up, and he hopped up from the chair. "That'll be Angela."

"I remember her," Kira spoke up, a soft smile finally gracing her features after so much anger, sadness and worry. "_AsteroidConquestFan#A_ right?" Despite his dark skin, they all saw the scarlet flood his cheeks as he tightened his grip on his phone.

"We…We're going to the early _Asteroid Conquest 2_ showing so that we, um, can make it to prom," he nodded, glancing towards Conner a moment, trying to ignore the triumphant grin reflected back at him. "I'll…I'll see you guys then." And with that, he sped out of the basement, leaving a group of laughter in his wake.

"It's not nice to tease him," Kaylee giggled, patting Kira on the shoulder. "He just doesn't know how to handle himself. It's his first real live girl that's just like him, but, y'know, with boobs."

"Thanks for that amazing mental image, Kayl-Whale," Dustin chuckled, having made his way down the stairs and to her side, his hand resting in the small of her back. She winked.

"I do try."

"So," Cassidy clapped her hands together, grinning at Kira. "Shall we get to work?"

* * *

And here someone was worried the title of the last two chapters would refer to her, like, death, or something. Pssh, no way I'd kill off my favourite character. Although… Naw, 'twas the great and mighty Mesogog. He's gone, folks. No more scaly freaks for our lovely heroes to face. But, hmm, what's that, Kaylee saw Zeltrax retreat through that portal with a jar… oh, yes, that's true. I'd forgotten. Oh well, can't possibly be important. MOVING ON!

The only thing that could've made this chapter better was probably legit Kironner action, but, well, I just couldn't bring myself to resolve that just yet, and instead gave you guys a few quick evil little flashes.

I realize there are quite a few loose ends left, and theoretically, the series ended roughly where Mesogog did. Well, fear not, for all your tension, your queries and the answers brought forth by events in this chapter will be resolved in the next, the last, the aptly-named…

_Finally (That's Pronounced Finale)_

Stay tuned.


	39. Finally

Here it is, everybody. One big em-effer of a chapter, and the much-awaited conclusion to the lovely Dino Thunder Series, and by extension, another piece of the Kaylee Series puzzle has been filled.

I'll let you guys get on with in, and see you when it's over!

_P.S, this chapter features an elongated piece sung by Kira and Kaylee that was originally only one verse and the chorus in the episode. I composed the rest to make it an actual full-length song, so please leave me your thoughts about that, as well. Thanks._

**

* * *

Finally (That's Pronounced Finale)**

Dustin tugged at the collar of his white dress shirt, trying to adjust his yellow tie into a comfortable position. Completely in vain. Beside him, struggling with his crimson tie, Hunter wasn't having any more luck. Side-by-side in Kaylee's and Tori's apartment in front of the mirrors, they were doing their best to get ready in the absence of their girlfriends.

But, really, it was proving tough.

From behind them, a girl's laughter rang out. "You guys are absolutely awful at cleaning up," Tori giggled, squeezing between them, turning her back on the mirror as she faced them, hands on the hips of her blue dress. Sensei had granted her the time off to see her little sister's prom. It would be fun, partaking in prom-except for the fact that Blake was missing, of course.

"What do you expect, Tor?" Dustin grinned sheepishly. "Earth Sensei, Storm Chargers employees and motocross enthusiasts…"

"We're naturally dirt monkeys at heart," Hunter finished for him, nodding proudly. "Cleaning up just isn't part of our vocabulary."

"For your girlfriends it is," Tori scolded, and as if on cue, they heard a loud _**ZWOP**_ down the hall.

"Kayl, that you?" Dustin called.

"Really, with the sound and everything, you still ask?" Tori laughed.

"No, it's Kira!" Kaylee replied for emphasis, unleashing a fierce giggle afterwards. "Just grabbing my dress and then heading back. How goes the dirt monkey transformations?"

"Take a look for yourself."

A blonde head poked out of her room and she spotted them, snorting as she kept herself from laughing. "Nice ties, guys."

"Shut up," they both grumbled.

"Good luck, Tor!" She ducked back inside her room to grab her things, keeping her voice raised for them to hear her. "So you guys are picking us up from Kira's then, right?"

"Yeah, and we'll swing by and snag Devin on the way, I guess," her boyfriend responded.

"You sure you don't mind being early?"

"Not at all," Dustin exchanged smiles with Hunter. "After all, who doesn't want front row seats to the first official-"

"SHUSH!" Kaylee yelled, her head re-emerging from her room, shaking her gaze blatantly in Tori's direction. "It's a S-U-P-R-I-S-E."

"For starters, I can spell, Kaylee," Tori instructed, hands on her hips once more, raising the eyebrow that unnerved her sister so. "And secondly, you forgot an 'r' in surprise."

"Right," the blonde nodded, sheepish, before shrugged. "That's why Kira does the writing and I do the thinking. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go turn into a pwetty pwincess!" Winking, she disappeared into her room, a loud _**ZWOP**_ echoing in the apartment again.

The boys laughed, incredulous, shaking their heads and turning back to the mirror, only to meet the smirking Water Sensei. "You laugh, but one of you is dating that weirdo, and the other already has."

"And you're related to her by blood, so what's that say about you?" Dustin snickered.

It faded quite fast in the face of her glare as she reached up, making quick work of the yellow fabric around his neck, tying it in place. A choking sound escaped his lips. "T-That's…That's a little tight, Tor."

"Oh, is it?" She smiled evilly. "Oops."

"Sorry," he wheezed, and beside him, Hunter attempted to retain his laughter. Dustin shot him a glare as Tori loosened the tie, allowing him to breathe again. "Thanks." Next, she slipped a small bundle of green and white florals into his suit pocket, tapping it once she deemed him ready.

She stepped to Hunter next, and although she had to lift herself a little higher, she managed to snugly secure his crimson tie in place, rewarding him with a bundle of yellow flowers for his suit pocket.

Hands on her hips once more, she regarded her work with a smile. "There. All ready."

* * *

xX-Finally-Xx

* * *

"_I can picture you and me  
More than coming closer  
Just a little more time and  
Just a little less thinking  
Just a little more is all that I need  
Just a little believing  
Just a little more breathing  
Let's give it time._"

"Kira, that's beautiful!" Cassidy exclaimed, putting the last touches on the mask of products that would cover Mesogog's claw scars on the rocker's back, careful to never touch the girl's dress. The reporter herself was clothed in a pink floor-length gown covered in sparkles, and the furry white shawl she would later be draping over her shoulders was resting over the back of a chair in Kira's room.

"Is it?" she asked nervously. "Because, Kaylee and I really want it to be great, since we want to open with it, and this being our first real concert and all…"

"Please, you girls have owned the stage at Cyberspace every Friday with everything you come up with. This'll be a million times better, you'll see." She swept Kira's hair back in place, curled to a perfection Cassidy was happy with, letting it fall down her back. She smiled. "There. No one will ever know."

"Thank you," Kira turned to grin at the blonde, tilting her head. "Not just for this, but for what you said, too. For everything, really. You're really a nice person, Cassidy. I'm glad you're finally letting that show."

"Hearing Devin tell me how he cared about me when he showed up with the tape, saying he couldn't turn it in, but had to show me…and knowing all the things you guys have done for me, for him, for everyone in Reefside, despite the way some of you guys have been treated…," she looked away, towards Kira's vanity, beginning to pin her curly up into an up-do. The yellow-clad girl behind her caught the reflection of her guilty look. "It meant a lot me. Got me thinking. About how I've treated everyone around me the last few years and…it hasn't been pretty, I know that. But despite that, Devin saw me for who I was underneath, who I was when we were kids and…well…if he likes me for that person, then why shouldn't I?"

"Wise decision, I think," Kira smiled.

"Now," the blonde stood straighter after hearing the approval, intent upon multitasking as she worked on her own look now. "Tell me about the song."

_**ZWOP!**_

A laughed escaped Kira's lips as she watched Cassidy jump, letting loose a small 'eek'. The blonde placed a hand over her head as Kaylee appeared, green dress slung over her arm, covered in plastic, grin etched onto her face. "Sorry."

"Just not used to the whole teleporting thing," Cassidy waved it off, trying to sound nonchalant despite the hitch of surprise still present in her voice. As Kaylee's cloud of green smoke swept her way, she blew it away from her, wrinkling her nose. "Or the smell."

"I smell just fine, thank you," Kaylee giggled, disappearing into the bathroom attached to Kira's bedroom to change.

"How are the guys doing?" Kira inquired, relieved she had avoided Cassidy's question about the song. Laughter erupted from the bathroom.

"It was bad. Tori had to help them like little kids."

"That's what you guys get for dating moto-tossers," Cassidy said proudly, putting the finishing touches to her hair-do. Damn, that girl was fast. "Devin is perfectly capable of cleaning up all on his own."

"Moto-_crossers_, Cass," Kira shook her head. "And keep in mind Devin will be forcing himself to look good to accompany you in your first public appearance as a couple, whereas we're used to it."

"Point taken," Cassidy nodded as she flopped onto the bed beside Kira, twisting her hands together on her lap to keep from fiddling with her or Kira's appearance. She was just waiting for the girl in green to exit the washroom, and she'd have one last fashion spree before they were ready to be picked up. She looked calm, confident, and totally relaxed about the big night.

The complete opposite of how Kira felt. With all the drama over the last few days, and the nervousness creeping in about performing in front of their school…Kira was feeling anything but relaxed.

She touched the small clutch on the bed beside her, the one her mother had let her borrow. Within, a folded piece of paper was contained, with lyrics she and Kaylee had worked on the week before the incident at Mesogog's. She planned to give it to Hunter, and maybe play it as their closing song. Still, she was on edge.

She couldn't help feeling that tonight just wasn't going to go as smoothly as planned…

* * *

xX-Finally-Xx

* * *

It was breath-taking to watch the students come walking in. After seeing so many of them come through Cyberspace on any normal day, now Hayley was seeing their transformation into beautiful and handsome individuals, primped and dressed for success. Seeing their joy when they walked into the Banquet Hall that she'd managed to transform in so little time into a royal ballroom filled her with happiness.

After having gone through so much with the Rangers in the last few days, it was such an incredible relief to do something for Reefside and be recognized for it. Students kept congratulating her on the decorations and catering as they walked in, thanking her for all her help. Cassidy had probably been the nicest surprise.

Waltzing in, arm looped with Devin's, the light catching on the sparkles covering her dress, her shoulders hidden beneath her white shawl, she'd given Hayley a smile wider than any she could remember. "Thank you so much, Hayley," she'd said, her eyes scanning the Banquet Hall. "And on behalf of the entire prom committee, I just want to thank you for helping out tonight." She'd leaned forward, dropping her voice. "And especially with so much else going on."

"Always happy to assist, Cassidy," Hayley had smiled back, watching as she and Devin, clad in a black vest over simple white shirt, his sunglasses hanging on the bridge of his nose, had passed, moving into the room.

Her starting act had been next, arm-in-arm with their boyfriends, matching dresses and floral arrangements in the boy's suit pockets. It was nice touch, allowing Dustin and Hunter to wear ties of their own Ranger color.

Kaylee's was floor-length, emerald green, and made with a soft, satin fabric, pleated all around the bottom. Around her waist was a glittery and beaded belt, catching in the light as she walked in. It tied around her left shoulder in a twisted rose-like form, hugging her torso the rest of the way. Her hair fell in waves to her mid-back, the streak of green in her hair matching perfectly with her dress.

Kira, on the other hand, almost reminded Hayley of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, with her yellow dress and dirty blonde hair, some pulled back, some falling down on her back. Her dress fell in neat layers to her knees, and was strapless, but unlike Belle, lacked poufy sleeves and long gloves. Instead, a black shawl covered her shoulders, and a silver 'K' necklace sat against her collarbone.

Hayley couldn't help but smile when she saw that both girls weren't wearing traditional high heels like most girls-Cassidy included-but instead sported a favourite pair of green sneakers (Kaylee) and black laced-up boots (Kira).

They'd both hugged her as they'd approached, thanking her in a thousand whispers for the chance to play tonight, carefully avoiding speaking too loud so that Tori, dressed elegantly in blue and standing just behind them, couldn't hear. It was Kaylee's secret, after all. After telling them it was the least she could do after everything, she wished them luck, and sent them towards the back where Dr. O was waiting to set them up onstage with their faithful band. Dustin and Hunter had dutifully distracted Tori, ushering her away and leaving Hayley with two thumbs up.

And now here she stood, having welcome in the majority of Reefside High, including Trent and his recovered father Anton, the newly civilianized Elsa, who had talked to the School Board with Tommy and been reinstated as the newer, nicer, Principle Elisa Randall, and finally, Ethan and his-waitforit-_girlfriend_ Angela. Apparently their date at the early showing of _Asteroid Conquest 2_ had gone _quite_ well.

All that was left was… Oh, no. Hayley shook her head as she watched Conner walk in, hair combed cleanly, red tie a little loose, his white shirt and black suit fitting him nicely. But her disappointment had nothing to do with his outfit, and everything to do with whose arm was looped with his.

Krista Prebble.

Of all the girls Conner could've invited to prom. Of all the cheerleaders and potential prom queens lining up to be his date, he'd gone and chosen Krista-Freaking-Prebble. The tree girl. The substitute. The distraction. She couldn't help but groan at his brilliance. Heads of students turned towards the entrance, wanting to see just who Soccer King Conner McKnight had brought to prom.

_Why do I get the feeling this will end badly_, Hayley thought to herself, gathering folds of her black floor-length dress in her hands, making sure she wouldn't step on it as she hurried towards them.

"Conner, Krista, hi!" She said, sounding a little too happy as she greeted them with a smile. "You guys look…great!" Lie. Conner did. Krista looked like she'd fallen into a dumpster of old ratty fabric and had stitched it all together. The white wasn't all that white, and the floral patterns smothering the off-white out of existence really looked cut up and sewn-on, in their mixture of black, grey and brown. Hayley was sure that if Cassidy spotted it, she'd die a little on the inside.

"Thanks, Hayley," Krista grinned, but Conner was perfectly aware the look Hayley was giving him was anything but happy, and raised his chin, defiant. _Let me have my fun_, he thought. Thankfully, the red-head said nothing, merely welcoming them in once Krista commented on the beauty of the Banquet Hall.

She was right; Conner had to give his date that. The Banquet Hall was gorgeous, decked out with streamers, a banner with the gold lettering "REEFSIDE HIGH SENIOR PROM 2004", and so much antique furniture and tapestries it really did look like a castle hall fit for princes and princesses. It wasn't his thing, but it sure as hell was nice.

He nodded his head in thanks as they ducked past the obviously annoyed Hayley, heading instead towards Ethan, who stood on his own to the left of the dance floor, in a tie-less black suit and pale blue shirt, playing a video game. Conner shook his head.

He'd admitted he'd been surprised back at the Dino Lab when Ethan had told them he was coming after seeing his movie, after his confession earlier that week that prom just wasn't for guys "like him" but… well, maybe it had been too much for Conner to hope the whole date-thing had been real. _Poor guy, _Conner thought. _I wonder if they went to the movies and he turned out to be just too much for her_? Of course he wasn't helping himself, standing there, playing away at handheld.

"Ethan, my man!" Conner called, breaking him from his spell as he looked up in time to shake hands as the soccer star pulled away from Krista. Which is exactly who Ethan's eyes had landed upon when he'd looked up, and the widening in shock had not gone unnoticed. So, Conner smiled proudly. "You remember Krista?"

"Was she on the list?" Ethan asked, and while Krista frowned, sending Conner a confused look, the latter couldn't help but glare, knowing full well the boy was playing stupid. He swallowed, hard, the look scaring the teasing right out of him. "S-Sure I remember! You're the tree girl!"

"Yeah, um, I guess you say that," Krista laughed a little. Her eyes trailed up to Conner's. "Um, I'm gonna get a drink, you want something?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," he nodded, and she stalked off, leaving the boys alone. Conner rounded on his shorter friend.

"Dude, what gives?"

"What gives?" Ethan scoffed. "What gives with _you_? Tree girl? Really?"

"It's what's on the inside that counts."

"Bullshit. You're substituting again, we both know it."

With a sigh, Conner's shoulders sagged. "So did Hayley, apparently. Her glare was on fire when we walked in."

"I can imagine," Ethan nodded. "I mean, you realize how stupid bringing Krista is, right? You don't even like her!"

"Sure I do," Conner hissed, leaning closer in an effort to keep their conversation secluded. All he needed was for some moron to overhear and go spreading it around so it reached his date. And what a public show that would be-Conner McKnight getting dumped by his date.

"Quit trying to win a losing game, dude," a voice spoke, and the boys turned to see Dustin walking up. "We all know you're in love with Kira."

"Yeah, well, that's not really an option, is it?" Conner said, tone flat, long tired of having this conversation with his friends. Especially since the girl in question or her charming boyfriend could show up at any minute. The Earth Sensei noticed him looking around and chuckled.

"No worries, Con. The girls are backstage for a few more minutes, and Hunter's over there with Tori," Dustin explained, pointing a ways away from them where the two blondes indeed stood, drinks in hand, chatting away with Dr. O, who waved when he saw the boys looking.

And just past them, dancing in a small circle to the slow music playing above the Hall, was Elsa and Trent's father, Anton. "What the…"

"Didn't see that one coming," Ethan stated. "Wonder how Trent feels about it."

"Quite fine with it, actually," the former White Ranger laughed, walking up with a pretty blonde in a golden dress carrying two glasses. She slides over to Ethan, handing him one of the drinks.

"Thanks, Angela," he grinned, and the boys stared at his arm wound around her waist as she focused her gaze on the boys. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Angela, my date and, um-"

"Girlfriend," she finished for him, sticking her free hand to shake with both Conner and Dustin. "Conner and Dustin, right? Must be, I've already met Trent. Ethan's told me all about you guys."

"I'm sure he has," Conner chuckled, glancing sideways at an equally amused Dustin.

"But where are Kira and Kaylee?" she asked, looking around them. "They're the only two Trent couldn't point out to me from the refreshment table. Hayley, Dr. Oliver, his father, your Principle, and even Kaylee's sister and Kira's boyfriend. But we couldn't figure out where the girls were at."

"I think you're about to find out," Dustin smiled, pointing towards the stage, where Dr. O was climbing the stairs, finding himself in front of the microphone, looking out at a sea of his students, friends and fellow faculty members. He waved.

"Hey, guys," Dr. Oliver smiled, and it crossed all their minds that this would be the last time they'd see him give them a speech. The last time he'd talk to them as their science teacher. For some, the last time as their teammate and mentor. "Guess this is my last official speech with you guys as my students, isn't it? But it's been great. We've had quite the interesting semester. We've been through a lot. More than any school should have to go through."

Ethan, Dustin, Trent and Conner exchanged grins, with both Angela and Krista, who had returned to her date's side just before Dr. Oliver's speech had started, earning a questioning from Trent that had quickly been silenced by Conner's glare, being oblivious.

"But we made it," Dr. Oliver went on. "And you're okay. That's what's important! So let's have fun tonight. And to help us do that, here they are, our very own Kira Ford and Kaylee Hanson!"

Collective jaws dropped as the curtains pulled back, Dr. Oliver stepping away to reveal Kaylee and Kira, guitar straps slung over their shoulders, in their prom dresses, their suit-clad band from Cyberspace at the ready behind them. They smiled down at their friends, looking at one another and nodding.

Kira stepped up to the microphone, and suddenly, Conner found it was quite difficult to breathe. He'd never seen her look so…so… "Beautiful…," he whispered, his breath catching in his throat, a thousand emotions he didn't want to have to deal with flooding back to him.

"Did you say something, Con?" Krista frowned, looking up at him. He quickly shook his head, never tearing his eyes away from the girl onstage.

"N-No," he replied, shaking his head slowly. She shrugged, returning her attention to the stage, never noticing as he clenched his fists in anger when her gaze focused on Hunter for support. This wasn't supposed to happen tonight. He was supposed to be dealing with this, over it, moving on by bringing Krista to prom. He planned on being himself tonight, soccer star and shoe-in for Prom King. He wasn't supposed to be the idiot who'd fallen head-over-heels for the rocker.

And yet, his head swarmed with unwanted thoughts as she smiled timidly onstage, waving to the crowd. "Hi, everyone. Kaylee and I would like to thank you for this incredible chance to perform this evening, and we hope you guys enjoy." She glanced at Kaylee.

"That said," the blonde giggled into her microphone. "Welcome to Reefside High's Senior Prom! This is _Just A Little_!"

And just like that, they launched into their first song, sounding every bit like the comfortable, confident duo that played every Friday at Cyberspace. Just with more lights, more cheering, and so much more breath-taking.

_Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh (ooh)_

_You gave me something more  
More than I've ever felt before.  
We could be falling in love,  
Oh baby._

_I won't care what they say,  
Or try to put in our way.  
You and me against the world,  
Oh baby._

_I can picture you and me  
More than coming closer…_

_Just a little more time and,  
Just a little less thinking,  
Just a little more time is all I need,  
Just a little believing,  
Just a little more breathing,  
Let's give it time._

_Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh (ooh)_

_We've faced worse things,  
Let's see what fate brings.  
No one can change my mind,  
Oh baby._

_Let's take this risk  
Fly high above it all  
Right off my feet you'll whisk  
Me and we won't ever fall  
Yeah-yeah, Yeah-yeah._

_I can picture you and me,  
More than,  
Oh baby,  
I can picture you and me,  
More than falling together…_

_Just a little more time and,  
Just a little less thinking,  
Just a little more time is all I need,  
Just a little believing,  
Just a little more breathing,  
Let's give it time._

_Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh-Ooh (ooh)_

_Give me just a little more time…_

As the crowd erupted into cheers, clapping and yelling and whistling, and Kira and Kaylee grinned, hugging one another, Conner just stood there, dumbstruck, one-hundred percent sure that the whole world had turned upside down. Or maybe he'd gotten stuck in an alternate dimension. Or something.

Because it was the only way to explain the fact that Kira had sung that song right to _him_.

* * *

xX-Finally-Xx

* * *

"What did you think?" Kaylee grinned, arms around Dustin's neck as they danced, one of their band-members playing DJ until the duo played their closing act. He leaned down, kissing her on the cheek.

"It was great," he spoke. "You and Kira were brilliant. You, especially." He grinned, lifting her off her feet as they twirled. She giggled until he put her down.

"You're biased."

"In a good way," he assured her. "Maybe because my girlfriend sang her whole first song right to me instead of to the crowd." He winked.

"You guys must've felt special to get the opening act, hmm?"

"Well, I know I did. But I'm not too sure about Hunter. Conner might've, though."

"What?" If it wasn't for Dustin continued twirling them around the dance floor, they'd have stopped short when Kaylee froze mid-step.

"Let's just say that try as she might to sing _Just A Little_ to her boyfriend, Kira's eyes did a fair bit of roaming to our corner of the room."

"Zwop," the blonde spat, and he couldn't help but laugh, fully aware she was using it as a curse word again. Her eyes began searching the crowd, and as he followed her gaze, he found the girl in the yellow dress, her head resting on the crimson-tied boy's chest as they swayed to the music.

"They're pretty adorable, huh?" Dustin smiled, but the mischievous glint in his girlfriend's eye made him wary.

"Yeah, too bad someone's cutting in," she said, and before he could ask what she meant, they were off, twirling through the crowd, narrowly avoiding other dancing duos. With horror, he noticed they were headed towards Krista and Conner. It didn't take a genius to figure out what his girlfriend was planning.

"Kaylee, I don't think you should be meddling," he said, but nevertheless, she continued to dance towards the brunette duo.

"I don't see why. I'm very good at it."

"You realize that if you push too hard, they'll fall so far from one another there won't ever be a chance of salvaging-"

"And if I don't, dumb and dumber are going to keep on dating their substitutes and instead of two mildly wounded people and some resolve, we'll have a nasty explosion and four broken hearts," she cut him off, silencing him. She had really put a lot of thought into this one, clearly.

Nevertheless, Dustin couldn't help remembering that he'd been Conner's place before, watching Kaylee date the very same guy. He'd sat by, quietly, and waited for the opportunity to present itself. He hadn't pushed, and had been patient. It had worked out, sure, but what Kaylee was planning…

"Don't give me that look," she said, holding up a hand to him, smiling. "I know what you're thinking. And you can't tell me you wouldn't have wanted a nice little push."

She took his silence as triumph, and tilting her head, her smile grew. "Now go ask the hobo to dance," she encouraged him, pushing him towards Krista and Conner. He sent her an withering look, but she merely waved, and dutifully, he asked to cut in. The soccer star obliged, but for the life of him, didn't look like he could quite wrap his brain around the fact that his best friend wanted to dance with his date. Poor schmuck.

Looking lost, Conner wandered in Kaylee's direction, who'd crept to the sidelines of the dance floor. "Hey, Kayl. Any idea what that's about?" He asked, pointing over his shoulder at Dustin and Krista.

"The fact that she looks like a Dalmatian after it rolled in soot and then got snowed-on?" Kaylee asked innocently, grinning as she was rewarded with a glare. Good thing she'd watched the movie while looking after the comatose Kira. Now she had a whole loot bag of jokes to work with.

"I meant, why did he cut in?"

"I asked," she shrugged, holding out her hand. "Dance?"

She was rather happy he'd been hit by enough soccer balls to the head that he hadn't the smarts to question her motives. Instead, he took her hand, leading her to the dance floor. It was a little awkward at first, as they were both adjusting to a different dance partner, but quickly, reading one another as the good friends they were, they fell into sync.

"So what did you think of tonight's opening act?" she winked, swaying to the music.

"You guys were great," he replied. "It was so better than Fridays at Cyberspace."

"I'm sure," she grinned knowingly. "How about that first song though, huh?"

He averted her gaze a little and internally, she cheered. Kaylee 1 - Conner nil. Slowly, she spun them in the direction she wanted them to go-both physically and metaphorically.

"Dustin said you couldn't take your eyes off a certain Rockstar. Or rather, she couldn't take them off _you_."

But he didn't respond. Instead, she saw his eyes narrow, and followed his gaze to see they'd arrived at their target-Kira and Hunter, dancing nearby. She giggled, bringing his attention down to her. "Pity that's not you, huh?"

"Why are we talking about this?" he huffed, focusing his narrowed eyes at her instead. "Kaylee, what are you trying to gain?"

"I'm not gaining anything. You are," she told him, and he frowned. Before he could respond with another question, she slipped from his grasp, headed straight for the blonde duo. She tapped Hunter on the shoulder, smiled at her best friend, and slowly led the former Thunder Ranger away, clearly having asked to cut in.

The path before Conner was dangerous, and Kaylee had ploughed right through, leaving it open for him. Naturally, he jumped. He closed the distance between himself and Kira, offering her his hand, slightly nervous that she would deny him a dance. He was relieved when without a word, she took it, standing as close to him as she would allow herself.

Aside from the music playing in the background, he was aware of the lingering silence as they moved. The quiet was eating him up on the inside. He needed to say something. He had no idea what, but anything was better than letting the awkward rift between them remain.

He thought of treading carefully. He thought of just enjoying the company and the silence. But most of all, he thought of a week ago, in the dark of his room, and the kiss he _hadn't_ dreamt about. His cheeks turned scarlet, and he opened his mouth without first thinking things through.

"You're beautiful."

Her head snapped up, face a mix of shock and confusion. Her mouth hung open, moving slightly, attempting to form words that just weren't coming to her. In seconds, a fierce blush had crept across her whole face. She slammed her mouth shut and looked back down, rather interested by their moving feet.

Brilliant, Conner, Brilliant. Way to make things _more_ awkward.

"I…I mean, well, you…you look really nice tonight, and, um…" he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm making it worse, aren't I?"

"Sort of, yeah," she nodded, not daring to look up.

"I'm sorry. It's just…first time we get to talk since all the drama with the…y'know, stuff…started and, well, my brain's struggling, you know?"

"When doesn't it?" Slowly, she looked up, biting her lip, inquisitive as to if that had been too much. He grinned back, clearly at ease with the insult. "Sorry. I…" Her mouth shut again, and he watched as she frowned a little, clearly struggling with her own words. "Thank you, for saving me. Kaylee told me everything while Cassidy was fixing my back. If it weren't for you I'd…well, I didn't think you'd…after what happened I thought you'd-"

"Why did you kiss me?"

For the second time in the few moments they'd been dancing, her eyes widened and her mouth hung open, shocked by his sheer lack of tact. Maybe he should've asked Kaylee exactly what to say before she'd danced off with Hunter. At the thought of the Thunder Ninja, his frustration and anger boiled in his chest, and his grip on Kira's waist tightened.

"Actually, scratch that question. I've got a different one," he spat, ignoring the little warning bells in his mind that told him his tone was very, very bad. "What the hell were you doing, on my lap in a dark room, when your boyfriend was rotting in a cell being tortured by a psychopath?"

"Conner, don't-"

"And then when you sang that opening song tonight, you spent the whole thing looking my way, instead of your boyfriend's. I just don't get it."

"I-"

"For someone who tries so hard to distinguish herself as different from all those other slutty cheerleaders who bounce from one boy to the other, you're not doing too well."

Hurt flashed in her eyes, and she tried to step back, but his angry grip on her waist remained. "Y-you…you don't mean that…"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't I?" he scoffed. "I told you how I felt at Cyberspace that night, offered you my heart, and you stomped on it pretty fucking hard. You told me there wasn't a chance as long as we were Rangers, and off you went to date pretty boy over there. And just when I was adjusting, just when I was dealing with my jealousy…you swooped right back in and kissed me. Not just some sissy kiss, but you sat there and…it was just…"

Finally, his grip on her waist fell away completely as he clenched his fists at his sides.

"You have no idea how much it's tearing me apart, Kira. I'm growing tired of the scraps of hope you keep tossing my way. And I honestly don't know why I bother with them anymore. I'm fighting a losing game, and I know it. You keep dishing out the hurt, and for some sick, twisted reason, I keep coming back to take it. Maybe it's because I'm in love with you, or maybe there's just something really wrong with me. But either way, that ends tonight. I hope you're happy with your little substitute, because no matter how much I try to pretend Krista and I will be happy, there's this big fucking ache that's never going to heal. And it's got your name on it."

And with that, he was gone, disappearing through the crowd before she could even think to look for him. She could barely move, could barely breathe, focusing her energy on shoving the huge sob in her throat back behind closed doors. She wouldn't cry. She refused. Not here. Not because of him.

But no matter how much her brain said no, her heart begged for her to give in. Her whole body shook with the sob, and triumphantly, it escaped her lips as her knees buckled beneath her. She knew the sound would draw attention. Knew they'd all turn to look. Refused to look up and see that they were.

Instead, she channelled whatever strength she had left and pusher herself forward, bee-lining for the door. She heard her name ring out in the crowd behind her, but couldn't distinguish who it came from, much less bring herself to care. Her only care was the bright shiny exit sign above the back door. The irony of the lettering being red just wasn't really funny to her in that moment.

The wave of cold slapped her in the face as she pushed through the doors, one hand clutching at her chest, above her heart, as if she could physically tear away the pain it felt. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hit something. She just wanted to be angry.

She just couldn't bring herself to do any of those things, tears rolling down her cheeks, stumbling pitifully to the bench outside. Her chest ached, and it wasn't just because she was having trouble breathing through her sobs. No. Her heart hurt. Could've been bleeding, for all she knew. And it was all Conner's fault.

_Wrong_, she thought bitterly. _It's all your own damn fault, Kira_.

It was true. Despite the harshness in his voice, the venom in his tone, and the anger in his eyes, everything that Conner had spit in her face had been true. She'd hurt him. When she'd rejected him at Cyberspace the night of Xmeaster. When she'd run off to help Hunter, telling him she hated him. When she'd kissed him that night in his room, _really_ kissed him, and had then turned away, coldly pretending it had all been part of the plan.

Time and time again, she'd wounded a boy who wanted nothing more than to offer her his love. A fresh wave of sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in her hands. Oh, God…he'd told her he loved her. He'd actually said that _he was in love with her_. And she knew it was the truth. When he was mad, Conner tended to do stupid things, but when he got to yelling, he _always_ blurted out the truth, like he had just done.

"Oh, God…," she sobbed, hating the wave of emotion surging through her. She was feeling that anger that she'd been desperately craving moments before. Only it wasn't directed at Conner, but herself. At her heart. For just about flying over the moon at the thought that _Conner McKnight _was in love with_ her_.

By all rights she should feel guilty about his admission, because she was dating Hunter, and he simply couldn't do anything about the way he felt. Instead, she was feeling guilty that she could do nothing about returning the feelings to him. She wanted to scream again.

"Stupid," she half-hissed and half-sobbed, not caring that by now, her mascara had probably run its full course down her face. Honestly, she couldn't care if it stained her dress. She knew tonight was going to go badly. Why she'd ever though going to prom was a good idea in the first place was a mystery.

Unfortunately, she became aware that the answer was standing perfectly still at the end of the bench. She rubbed her eyes and cheeks, hoping to erase the evidence and sober up, lifting her head to see Hunter watching her in silence, waiting. She took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and ever so weakly, she smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," he smiled back, hesitantly, easing himself into the seat next to her. His arm dropped lightly around her shoulders, pulling her closer, offering her his own shoulder.

"God," she breathed, wiping her cheek, something between a sob and a laugh catching in her throat. "I must look like a mess."

"I think you look hurt," he told her, rubbing her arm.

"I'm not the most hurt tonight," she whispered.

"I know," he sighed, and she looked up at him, wondering what if he meant Conner, or possibly…himself. Fear struck through her. What if he'd heard? But he didn't look angry. As he sat there, staring off into the dark night, a soft smile played on his lips. After a moment, he looked down at her, squeezing her close.

His calm in the face of what had just transpired just wasn't fair to him. Not to mention the internal turmoil bouncing around between her heart and brain. She wanted to crawl into a corner and hide from the rest of the world. But running from her problems was exactly what had landed her on this very crummy bench on this otherwise beautiful night.

Holy farting monkeys, Kaylee had it easy in her comfortable and stable relationship…

And then it hit her. Slapped her so hard she nearly tumbled forward off the bench, really.

Hunter and Kaylee had gone out during their time together in Ninja Storm. And then she'd fallen for Dustin. Kira's gaze drifted upwards, meeting the blue eyes of the very dirty blonde who'd had his heart broken before once by his girl falling for another guy. Could he survive another? Not a chance in hell, Kira decided. So she sucked up her courage, resolving that she was going to work past this, that her feelings for Hunter weren't going to be hindered by the complete screw up that was her and Conner.

_No, _she told herself, _there is no me and Conner. None whatsoever._

She pulled on a weak smile, taking a deep breath. "Hunter, I-"

He leaned forward, cutting off her with a sweet, soft kiss. It was much different than anything they'd shared before. And she knew exactly why. She wanted to cry all over again. "W-what was that?" she stammered.

"Goodbye," he said softly, that soft smile still present on his lips. It made whatever was happening quite confusing, Kira decided.

"What?"

"A guy knows when he's lost."

"I…I-" it was his fingers this time that stopped her from talking, pressing lightly against her lips, shutting them.

"Just, let me talk, okay?" She nodded and he released her. "It was harder to see, at first, because you two…you and Conner, you always fight. Always argue. But tonight… I'm slow, sure. But I'm not blind. Your first song, tonight… It was beautiful, Kir, it really was. But it wasn't for me."

"You always sing your heart out up there, and…and tonight it was easy to see I wasn't the one your heart was looking for out in the crowd. I wanted to pretend that maybe, just maybe, I was wrong. But when you spent so much of it looking his way, I knew it was pointless. I can't compete with a guy who's madly in love with you."

"I…," he sighed, running his free hand through his hair, dishevelling whatever neat work Tori had done before the boys had picked us up. "I care about you, Kira, and we had fun. You're an amazing girl. But you're not mine. I'm not sure you ever were." Tears were freely rolling down her cheeks again. He reached up to wipe them away, his blue eyes meeting her hazel ones.

"I'm so sorry, Hunter," she blurted, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. Then she seemed to think better of it and pulled away, her hands wiping at her face. "Shit, sorry, runny mascara isn't good for a white shirt."

"It's okay," he chuckled. He lifted her face to look up at him. "It is, really."

"How can it be okay? I pretty much just tore out your heart and stomped on it tonight." Bitterly, she realized she'd just sort of quoted Conner.

"You'd be surprised," he grinned, thumping his chest with pride. "Heart's a lot stronger than you're giving me credit for, Kir. It's had a few bumps in the road before."

"Kaylee."

"And more."

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I really am. If I could change the way things had happened-"

"I'd of made myself Red Ranger, personally," he winked. It earned him a smile.

"It's going to sound stupid, and worthless next to the pain, but I'll always care, Hunter," she confessed. "Always."

"I know. I will too," he leaned down, kissing her on the head. Quietly, he pulled something from the pocket inside his suit jacket, pressing it into her palm. "Here."

Just looking at the folded piece of paper, she knew it was the song she'd given him when he'd picked her up for prom. "Why…why are you giving this back?"

"Because I'm pretty sure it's not meant for me," he smiled sweetly, leaning forward and pressing one, final, soft kiss on her lips. Pulling away, she unfolded it, reading the title sprawled across the top. _Patiently_.

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging him tightly, willing the tears in her eyes to leave her the hell alone. She'd shed enough tonight, thank you. He stood first, offering her his hand, and after wiping the tears from her eyes, she took it, letting him pull her up.

He glanced towards the door, silently asking her if she was ready to return, and frantic, she looked around, trying to find something to fix the mess that was her make-up. She was pretty sure she looked like a freaking zombie or something. Without a word, he pulled a Kleenex from his suit, offering it to her.

Gratefully she took it and wiped away as much as she could, struggling to laugh. "Wouldn't happen to have any courage in there too, would you?"

"Sorry, fresh out." But he took her hand, and started towards the door, and she found that was all she needed. He held the door open, and his light touch at her waist, she stepped across the threshold back into the noise, bustle and hum that was prom-

-right into the ambush of a blonde and green blur, engulfing Kira in the biggest most awesome hug there ever was. Ever. Seriously. It almost made the tears fall all over again. But thankfully, the blur's boyfriend had enough sense to pull her away before fresh waterworks started.

"That's strike two, Bradley," Kaylee grinned up at Hunter, and despite the fact that Kira, once more, expected him to look hurt, he smirked playfully instead. She remembered then, of all times, that Kaylee and pulled Hunter away to dance, and loved her best friend all the more; knowing without a doubt the girl had softened the blow.

Kaylee's grin turned to Kira then, placing her hands on the dirty blonde's shoulders, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Still wanna play the song we wrote? We're on in two."

Kira's gaze drifted up to Hunter, watching as he grinned back with all the support and care he could, and she found herself returning the smile. "Go get him, Kir," he told her.

"Definitely," she responded, and Kaylee pumped her fist into the air.

"I'm on the awesomest roll _ever_!" Then she blinked at Kira, and a grimace spread onto her features. "Make that on in five. You look like someone dumped a bucket of zombies on you."

"Thanks, Kaylee, makes me feel loads better," Kira rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips.

* * *

xX-Finally-Xx

* * *

"Alright, everyone, if I could have your attention, please," Dr. O spoke into the microphone once more, grinning sheepishly. "We've got one last closing before we crown Prom King and Queen. I'd like you guys once more to warmly welcome Kira and Kaylee to our stage!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as the curtains pulled back to reveal the girls, cleaned of all tears and sadness, exchanging wide smiles with one another. With a mild push from Kaylee, Kira stepped up to the microphone, clutching at her guitar like a lifeline, her eyes scanning the crowd.

Near the front of the mass of people, she found the warming smiles of Hunter, Dustin, Tori and even Cassidy and Devin. Ethan and his date, Angela, were there too. She didn't wonder for a second if they weren't aware of what had happened-between Rangers, word spread like wildfire. Hayley and Trent offered her thumbs up, while his father, Elsa, and Dr. O merely nodded their heads in support.

And standing back from the familiar faces, easily distinguishable above the other students she'd spent numerous years alongside because of his height, was Conner. And his glare. And Krista, glued to his side.

She smiled. She planned on wiping that glare off his face, nervous or not. So, she took a deep breath, determined that she wasn't going to back out now. "Hi." _Okay, wow, laaaaame._ Despite her inner doubt, she trudged on. "Um, we'd like to thank you all for the support you gave us after our performance earlier this evening. It means a lot to us. That said, I'd like to dedicate this final song to someone in particular. Someone whom I hurt very deeply, but that I care about very much." She watched as the glare faltered, his eyebrows raising with intrigue. "I hope he realizes it means that I've made up my mind, and that I'll be waiting for him, _patiently_, for however long it takes him to forgive me."

She ignored the way her fellow students 'aww-ed', completely oblivious to the situation at hand. She knew a few, at least, could connect the dots between her running away from him in tears, and now, her blatant apology. But she was done caring about what anyone else thought. She was only trying for one opinion tonight, the one that mattered.

"This one's for you, Jockboy." She looked over her shoulder at Kaylee, who grinned, and joined her at the microphone, counting them in.

"One, two, three and, hit it!"

_Looking back, I don't regret,  
One single day.  
Memories will keep me close,  
When you walk away.  
It's harder than I could imagine,  
I guess I should have known that.  
Close your eyes, I'll be there,  
I'll come running anywhere._

_Say goodbye, I'll be okay.  
I will wait for you, cause;  
True love will never fade,  
When it's real, you can feel it.  
And I know, that you know,  
That I will keep on waiting,  
Patiently,  
Patiently…for you._

Kira stepped back, letting Kaylee sing the verse she'd written entirely on her own, as the blonde had let her sing the first and most of the chorus. She hadn't asked for it, but Kaylee was giving her the space, allowing her to sing her heart out, just the way Hunter had said.

And judging by the shock painted across Conner's face, it was working.

_Stormy Tuesday afternoons,  
Haven't been the same.  
I used to stand outside and taste,  
The sweetness of that.  
It's harder when it really happens,  
Oh; I wish I'd known that.  
Close my eyes, and you're there,  
But I can't find you anywhere._

She stepped back, her voice joining with Kaylee's, grins spreading across both their lips.

_Say goodbye, I'll be okay.  
I will wait for you, cause;  
True love will never fade,  
When it's real, you can feel it.  
And I know, that you know,  
That I will keep on waiting,  
Patiently,  
Patiently…for you._

_Patiently,  
So patiently…_

_When I'm lost, I try to find you.  
Turn around, I'm right behind you._

_Say goodbye, I'll be okay.  
I will wait for you, cause;  
True love will never fade,  
When it's real, you can feel it.  
And I know, that you know,  
That I will keep on waiting,  
Patiently,  
Patiently…for you._

_Patiently…for you…_

The cheering was astoundingly loud, but Kira heard none of it. Her eyes were locked on Conner's, the beating of her heart deafening. She barely registered Dr. O walk back up onto the stage and Kaylee slowly tug her away from the microphone. His thanks and praise never reached her ears, because instead, both she and Kaylee were headed for the stairs at the side of the stage, her brain focused on the fact that Conner had disappeared amongst the crowd seconds before.

For a moment, she feared he would do exactly as she had done-run. Run away from truth, from honesty and from everything she was afraid of admitting and accepting. But Conner was never one to run from anything. He'd always met everything head on, his whole life, and she admired him for it.

That did not, however, soften the blow when she saw him standing there, at the foot of the stairs, an unreadable expression on his face. "Superspeed is cheating, you know," Kaylee whispered, dragging Kira the rest of the way before silently slipping past, patting Conner on the shoulder as she did.

Neither spoke. Behind them, the crowd's attention was captivated by Dr. O and the envelopes resting in his grip, each with a golden seal in the form of a crown. "The faculty spent the night watching everyone, but as creepy as that sounds, we did it for the greater good." He frowned. "I think. I guess. I'm not really sure. I don't get the whole crowning business, really. But what the hay."

"Kira," Conner breathed, finally breaking the silence, allowing her to entirely tune out her science teacher. "Did you…did you mean what you said up there, before the song?"

"If you're really asking me that then the song didn't really work quite as well as I'd planned," she said, twisting her hands together in her nervousness, ignoring every fiber in her body that screaming for her to just run. You'd think she was the one with Superspeed here.

"I…I just…" He seemed to take a deep breath, stepping towards her, dropping his voice for some attempt at privacy. After all, they were close to the crowd, and all it took was a few curious morons… "What I said to you, earlier, on the dance floor, it was-"

"The truth," it was her turn to cut him off where he stood, squaring her shoulders, determined. Her friends had gotten her to this spot, this once chance, tonight, and she wasn't going to let it-and him-slip away. "Everything you said was true, Con. Terrible, but true."

"No, I just…I was just so confused, Kir," he said. "Ever since that kiss the night you ran off with the gems, I…It's all I can think about. When I realized it wasn't a dream, everything just got worse. You were off throwing yourself into danger for Hunter, and yet…yet you'd kissed me like…"

"Like we were back at Cyberspace, under the mistletoe, putting our hearts on the line," she whispered, but he was close enough to catch it. He nodded.

"It brought back everything I'd been trying to forget. All the feelings, the memories of…" He was careful not to say us, she knew, because there wasn't a concrete _them_ of which to speak…yet. He sighed again. "I sat there, for six days, watching him at your side, wondering what the hell was going on, steadily getting more and more jealous, to the point where I called up-"

"Krista Prebble!" Dr. O's voice rang out in the room that had suddenly gone silent. A few claps started out, slow, and soon, everyone had joined in as the girl waltzed towards the stage, the biggest smile spread across her lips. From somewhere in the crowd, Cassidy spat forth a series of rather nasty remarks, not because she hadn't won queen-that Cassidy was gone, remember?-but rather, at the girl's dress.

Nevertheless, Krista accepted the crown and flowers that Dr. O lifted from the small table behind him, awkwardly passing them to her.

"Fuck," Conner swore, loud and clear, well aware what was next. Kira stood rooted in place, a chill piercing her to the bone. She needed more time. She needed…

He met her eyes, stepping closer, clasping his hands in hers. "Listen, I…I was angry, and when I called her to be my date three hours before prom, I wanted…I don't know what I wanted. I just wanted to feel something other than anger and jealousy. But I saw you and Hunter dancing, and talked with the guys and Kaylee, and when it was my shot to dance with you, I thought I'd make the best out of it. I thought I could get answers, set everything straight, and I'm so sorry that I screwed up. God, Kira, I-"

"Conner," a snippy voice called his name-a girl's, and slowly, the pair looked up to see Krista standing at the edge of the stage, flowers in hand, glaring down at them. If looks could kill, poor Kira would be skewered, flayed and served on an open fire.

Judging by the impatient tapping of her foot-_tap, tap, tap_-and the fact that the majority of Reefside High's graduating class of 2004 was watching them; his name had been called for Prom King quite a few moments ago. "Conner," she called again.

"What?" he sounded exasperated, and could've sworn he heard the familiar snicker of Ethan nearby. He'd probably be hearing a familiar _I told you so_ later, too.

"Are you _coming_?" she seethed. _Tap, tap, tap_.

He look at Krista, then to Kira, then back again, and slowly, the all-too-familiar and unnerving McKnight smirk slid into place on his lips. Kira wanted to groan. Now was not the time for the wheels in his brain to be turning. She was about to open her mouth to tell him to go, when he spoke. "No."

"What?" both she and Krista choked at the same time, one in disbelief, the other in anger.

"You heard me," he grinned.

"_Why_?" she hissed, her dagger-glare focusing once more on Kira. The smirk broadened-

-and he crashed his lips onto Kira's. She responded with her whole heart.

A shriek of pure rage bubbled in Krista's throat, but never made it to fruition, being drowned out and squished into oblivion by the overly-loud and all-too-excited voice of a two-time Green Ranger and professional meddler. "Flipping Flying Finland!" Kaylee cheered, pumping her fists into the air from her place with Dustin amongst the crowd. "Finally!"

As the crowd turned to look at Kaylee, she grinned sheepishly, focusing on her boyfriend. "Was that my outside voice?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Funny, I thought that was my in-my-head voice," she frowned, taking his hand and pulling him onto the nearby stage alongside her. She snagged the crown off Krista's head as she passed her, plopping onto her own skull as she grabbed the microphone. "One more, just for good measure."

She grinned down at her best friend, who looked up, Conner's arm protectively wrapped around her waist, both of them smiling at the excited blonde.

She took a deep breath, and as loud as her tiny frame could muster, she cheered. "FINALLY!"

_That's pronounced finale, folks._

* * *

Yes, I had fun giving the title a triple meaning. One - finally Dino Thunder is complete. Two - finally Kira and Conner are together. And Three - this is my finale chapter. Woot.

Well, it's been an amazing run. I had a real fun time writing these last few chapters, putting out all that drama, those twists, and in the end, not only pairing up my two favorite characters ever (Kira and Conner, of course), but Kaylee stole the crown and made herself Prom Queen. It had to be done, it's true.

Now, where I go from here is an entirely other story (haha, look at me, making pathetic puns). I'd like to compose a short epilogue after this just to show where people from Dino Thunder went afterwards, since, really, the only people we see later on are Kira, Conner, Kaylee and some of the Ninja Rangers. Also, because I have OCD, cannot stand uneven numbers, and this here ends it at 39. After that, I know some of you would like to see me fill in the last puzzle pieces from the Kaylee series, like MF and the future SPD, but you also know I'm sucky at keeping my promises, and as such, don't hold me to anything until you see it happen, alright? The best I can give you is that I WANT to do them, and I WILL, but it may not be right away, as I tend to focus my time lately on my original fiction piece I've been writing for a few years now, hoping to turn it into a novel.

Anywho, I'll stop rambling on like Bridge and let you get on with your lives, but I'll give you one last thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sticking with me this long. You reviewers mean the world to me, and without you, a great many stories would not be complete around the world of fanfiction.

Until next time,

Faith.


	40. Epilogue, Remembering: Delta Annex IIV

I present to thee, my epilogue. Hope you enjoy it. Hopefully you've read through the rest of Lily's installments in the Kaylee series, most importantly the RPM pieces, so that you'll know exactly who I'll be talking about in terms of SPD kids.

Lemme know what you guys think.

**

* * *

Epilogue: **_**Remembering**_

You always hear about the Rangers who went on to change the world after the power. Those that commanded armies, or working behind the scenes to train the next generation. You hear about those who made themselves public, about those who became directly related to the next generation.

About those who survived the destruction of the world.

Kaylee and I went on to record professionally, and to tour, thought they were often interrupted by Ranger business. Mystic Force took us both out of commission, while Operation Overdrive and subsequently Jungle Fury borrowed Kaylee, with me coming back as a Retro Yellow Ranger (Conner still bitter about me being chosen over him when it's brought up). Not to mention she married Dustin, and I Conner, and the kids.

But you've heard all about us. About our lives and our adventures, and everything that has brought us here, to where we are today, commanding the two cities that remain standing in the face of evil.

But what of the others? The mentors, the friends, the sidekicks…all of whom without which us, and the rest of those historic Rangers would not be where they are.

I think of them often. I think of what kind of person they were, how much of an influence they were, and how they helped Kaylee and I get to where we are today. Most of them she's written about, has chronicled in her own way, like the Jungle Fury Rangers, and the Overdrive Rangers, and most importantly, her family, the Ninja Storm Rangers. Most of them are still an integral part of our lives where we are now, split across the cities of Corinth and NewTech.

But there are others who never made it to Corinth or NewTech, some who the attack took from us, and some who I hope are still battling through the Wastelands, trying to reach us.

The mentor that Kaylee and I shared is the first one to come to mind.

A Ranger legend himself (although Kaylee still wins on that one) Dr. Oliver was a great man, and even when fighting alongside us as the Black Dino Ranger, he always had advice to give. After Dino Thunder, he remained in his position as Science Teacher at Reefside High, and kept in constant contact with us through Hayley. It was through this contact that Kaylee and I learned a little bit more about the old fart, including his former relationship with Kimberly Ann Hart, the two time Pink Ranger. And, naturally, professional meddler Kaylee Hanson could not be swayed from contacting said gymnast, under the pretence that she was simply curious about the first woman to control a Pterodactyl, and the benefit of teasing me about it being pink.

It meant I got dragged into helping, of course, and together, we reunited the duo after many years in our little town of Reefside. What becomes of them after that is a little foggy, because Kaylee and I were touring, and revisiting the Ranger business, but we hear they married, and alongside Hayley, moved back to Angel Grove, opening up their own dojo to offer a great number of kids a chance to fight back. And a good thing, too, because some of those students made it here after the attack, and are in the very training that could one day lead them to become the Earth's next line of defense.

One of them, in particular, is already there. Benjamin Thomas. Black SPD Ranger. Trained personally under my former mentor, Tommy, and when I recruited him, he told me that the Ranger legend made it to Corinth. Kaylee even had him help train those little munchkins of hers, the RPM kids. And though I don't really see Tommy much, I see so many resemblances between Ben and Tommy, that despite his love of delinquency, is a constant link to the man I once knew.

And he isn't the only one. The team's technician and Omega SPD Ranger, Kieran Mordane, a brilliant young programmer at only twenty years old, was working alongside our brilliant friend Ethan James at the time of the attack.

Ethan did everything he ever said he would. He went out into the world with his talents, was hired by a renowned computer company, and there, created software and technology that made him both rich, and famous. But not only did him fulfilling his dreams lead him to work with the new Omega SPD Ranger, and benefit himself, but it benefited the world, too.

Ethan created the very technological equipment that my team of SPD Rangers, and the majority of our facility, use. Never having been able to leave behind his love for Rangering just like the rest of us, Ethan developed new morpher software, new suits, new weapons and vehicles, and brought it all to the Delta base in NewTech for them to use. And he brought Kieran with him, saving them both from the Venjix attack.

While Kieran constantly has little nerd-outs that remind me of Ethan, he is not the only link remaining to our former Blue Dino Ranger, as the millionaire lives in NewTech city, within visiting distance, and sometimes assists us if his protégé, Kieran, cannot complete something. He's truly become our Hayley, comfortable in his "retirement" with his wife, Angela, _AsteroidConquestFan#A._

Young Kieran, for all his brilliance, is also a reminder of Trent, something which ultimately and continually causes Conner to dislike him. He looks just like him, that sometimes it's a little unnerving. The black hair, the olive skin, and that tortured look in his eyes, the only thing he's missing is a love and talent for art, which thank god he lacks.

And before you ask, no, he isn't the former White Dino Ranger's son. What became of the man whose doppelgänger who may as well be, is a little difficult to decipher, because for all our ups and downs, after Trent left Reefside and went on to bigger and better things, we didn't keep in touch that often. A fact which I can tell you Conner is pleased with, the jealous bum.

After Dino Thunder, Trent went to art school with his father's blessing, studying to hopefully one day become like his hero, Carson Brady, the comic book artist that we saved from Mesogog. The man who inspired him kept in contact with him, and they went on write quite a few comics together while Trent was still in art school. It's what gave him his big break, allowing him to complete schooling and move into the comic book industry, leaving both Reefside, and America completely and traveling all the way to Japan.

I have his very first full-length comic book on my shelf at home, given to me by Ethan, who kept better contact with Trent than we did, and it is the last piece of him I have. When Venjix hit, most of that part of the world was wiped out. It is difficult to say whether or not he made it, because Ethan didn't hear from him after his settlement in NewTech, and to this day, we still wonder, much like with Tommy and Hayley. But if he went down, we are sure he went down fighting. Fighting to defend himself. Fighting to defend his new home. Fighting to defend his father, and step-mother, _Elisa_, who took their retirement sometime after Trent moved to Japan, and followed.

That day Venjix hit, I distinctly remember Devin Del Valle fighting his heart out to make sure that he, and his wife, Cassidy, made it out alive. And they did. They made it to Corinth with their daughter, Katrina, and Cassidy was the first on the air to bring citizens of NewTech and Corinth the news about the rest of the world.

After graduation, Devin enlisted the help of Dr. Oliver to learn how to fight like the rest of us, saying that despite the fact that Mesogog and the T-Drones were gone, we would like to know how to defend and protect the girl he loved, should anything evil ever return to Reefside. He trained with Tommy until the latter reunited with Kim and moved back to Angel Grove, but Devin kept it up, telling the rest of us that you never know what could happen. Cassidy, on the other hand, quit her job under that insufferable asshole, Mr. Cormier, and went her on way, studying journalist at the local college. While in school and writing from the school newspaper, she was offered a position at her former place of employment, this time _higher_ than Mr. Cormier, by the woman in charge who saw Cassidy's worth underneath the frills and the pink.

Cassidy gave her everything to both her budding career and her relationship with Devin, keeping in contact with Kaylee and I, who could totally stand the new and improved Cassidy over the old one. Moving on from college, she travelled far and wide, reporting on the biggest stories, boosting the credibility and ratings for the Reefside-born TV station, denying job offers from bigger and more well-known stations simply because Reefside was her home, and it was where she intended to stay.

Now, NewTech is her home, with Devin and little Katrina, as they moved with us from Corinth when I accepted the position as Commander of SPD. I gave her my first interview in my new position, yet again solidifying her amazing career as one of the best reporters out there. And really, it was barely an interview. It was just us, old friends, catching up.

The last old friend from my Dino Thunder days I'm writing about today is probably the closest to my family today (other than Kaylee, of course, because she and Dustin and them _are_ family). Hunter Bradley.

Despite all the shared history with the Crimson Thunder Ranger between both Kaylee and I, he's been a great friend, through thick and thin, through team after team. A great friend… and a constant source of aggravation to my husband Conner. I have Hunter employed in NewTech, at our base, training any new recruits and cadets that come our way, as well as assisting to train the SPD Rangers. His own son, Ryan, is part of the team, and proudly wears his father's color as SPD Crimson (or, if you're the twins and Hayden, you'd call him Manly-Pink).

But theirs is not a simple story, and they faced tragedy to get to where they are today. After breaking up with me at Prom so I could be with Conner, Hunter went back to the Academy, but eventually regained a thirst for the outside world, and his stint in Motocross. He left the Thunder Academy and donned his old suit, and travelled the coast, winning tourney after tourney, just like his brother Blake.

And there, racing in 2006, is where he met the future love of his life, Riley MacKay. She was on her very last race, planning to leave the sport entirely behind in the face of her upcoming pregnancy. There was instant chemistry between them, so I'm told, but because of her not-yet-really-formed-baby, Hunter figured there was no chance. But Kelly, still his manager, remained Riley's friend, in touch through her pregnancy, and finally, three years later, reunited with Hunter at Kaylee and Dustin's wedding, as Kelly's invited. They hit it off once more, and soon, after finding out that the baby-now named Ryan-was not part of the picture, they began dating. In no time they were engaged to be married.

But they never made it there. A week before they were to be married, Riley was walking home from doing groceries when she was hit by a drunk driver, dying at the scene. Hunter was devastated, but one tiny little ray of hope reached him in the form of three-year-old Ryan, whom he was told he could adopt, given that he was the closest thing to family the young one had. And so, he formally became Ryan Bradley, and has grown to look just like his unofficial father. Just like he's grown to wear his father's Crimson color, and defend others as one of the SPD Rangers, a talent I recognized in him the day Venjix attacked and threw all of us, around the world, off-kilter.

That day, we lost a lot of people. That day, everything changed.

And that day will be remembered just as strongly as the people who changed, the people who left, and the people who stayed.

Tommy Oliver.

Kimberly Oliver.

Hayley Ziktor.

Ethan James.

Angela James.

Trent Fernandez.

Anton Mercer.

Elisa Mercer.

Devin Del Valle.

Cassidy Del Valle.

Hunter Bradley.

Riley MacKay.

They are all great people. They are all treasured by the people who they assisted.

And they will be remembered, forevermore.

_DELTA BASE ANNEX II-V  
Signed and dated by  
Commander Kira Emily Ford_


End file.
